Welcome to DemocracyNext!

Hello,

Claudia here, the Founder and CEO of DemocracyNext.

A warm welcome to our growing international community who believe that another democratic future is possible.Thank you for joining us!

At DemocracyNext, we’re devoted to a mighty idea: citizens’ assemblies - not just in government, but in everyday institutions like schools, museums, and workplaces.

These assemblies are brave spaces for creative problem-solving. They bring together randomly selected groups of people – a true reflection of their community – to learn, deliberate, and shape shared solutions to complex issues.

Power rotates fairly. Everyone has a turn to represent and to be represented.

For over a decade, our team has helped shape the growing deliberative wave - and we’re so glad to have you with us.

You’ll soon start receiving our newsletter every week or two - stories from around the world, research, and reflections on how democracy can evolve.

Every once in a while, we also publish deep dives: analysis, interviews, and conversations with thinkers and doers reimagining participation.

To get you started, here is some recommended reading:

1. Assembling an Assembly Guide

2. Claudia Chwalisz on ‘The History of Ideas’ podcast with David Runciman

3. Five dimensions of scaling democratic deliberation: With and beyond AI

4. Deschutes Civic Assembly mini documentary and an interview with Josh Burgess one year on

5. The impact from Paris’ citizens’ assembly and Claudia’s essay on lessons learned from it

To support our work, please consider upgrading your subscription - or simply share this newsletter with friends and colleagues who need a bit of hope.

If there’s something you’d love to see us cover, just hit reply and tell us. We’d love to hear from you.

Onward!

Claudia Chwalisz and the DemocracyNext team

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