Abstract
There are two important dimensions to the membership of mini-publics that are distinct from the membership of conventional representative institutions: the selection mechanism (sortition) and the profile of the body's eligible membership (‘ordinary’ citizens). This article examines the effects of these design features on perceived legitimacy. A survey experiment in the deeply divided context of Northern Ireland finds no evidence that variation in mini-public selection features has an overall effect on perceived legitimacy, but there are important individual-level differences.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Representation |
Early online date | 10 Feb 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Early online date - 10 Feb 2021 |
Keywords
- deliberative mini-publics
- sortition
- legitimacy
- representation
- democratic innovations