Can Democracy Be Done Better?

 

Can Democracy Be Done Better? (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward

Most of us are glad to live in a democracy. Yet, we may also think that our democracy is not representing us, or not functioning well. So, can democracy be done better? The “Iron Law of Oligarchy,” is a political theory developed by German sociologist Robert Michels, to explain how complex organizations, regardless of how democratic when started, inevitably develop into oligarchies. Representative democracies deteriorate into elite rule as a result of this “iron law.” According to Michels, the tactical and technical necessities of organizations require that they come to be run by a leadership class. This leadership class ends up dominating the organization’s power structures. Representative democracies can not avoid rule by elite. We have also come to believe that electing representatives by popular vote is a sacrosanct element of democratic governance. Yet, there are several thought provoking arguments that reimagine democracy by replacing the traditional voting process. An intriguing proposal for a democracy of the future is governance by “sortition.” Sortition-also known as demarchy or allotment- is a democratic form of government where representative members of the government are selected randomly rather than by election. This concept of selecting public officials at random from a larger pool of candidates has a distinguished pedigree beginning in the Athenian democracy (507-232 BCE), Venice (697-1797), Florence (1328-1434 and 1494-1512) and Switzerland (1640-1837). Modern examples are mostly found in the selection of juries where potential jurors are selected at random from a qualified population and then are further examined to determine their qualifications and impartiality in a voir dire process. Also, random selection has been used to create assemblies of citizens to advice on policy proposals. Sortition is more democratic than elections because a sample selected at random mirrors more accurately the composition of the population with respect to personal characteristics, political preferences and economic circumstances. Consequently, the lawmaking of a random selected parliament is more likely to reflect the views of the population as a whole. Sortition is a less corruptible selection process for political office because it is not easily manipulated by money, power, or status. The Athenians believed elections to be aristocratic and corrupt. As Aristotle put it: “It is accepted as democratic when public officials are allocated by lot [sortition]; and as oligarchic when they are filled by election.” Modern advocates of sortition also point out the phenomenon of cognitive diversity. Studies show that cognitive diversity is more important to developing successful ideas than the ability level of a group. Simply put, persons of average intelligence selected at random perform better than a collection of the most talented problem solvers. Most elected legislative assemblies display various demographic biases in race, religion, sex, etc. Under a citizen-wide sortition scheme for public office, ordinary citizens would not have to compete against powerful adversaries favored by socioeconomic or political advantages. Thus, sortition is inherently more egalitarian than elections, and provides all citizens an equal chance of serving in office. It overcomes societal biases, and the problem of overrepresentation in elections by the more politically active groups. Under most election systems, elected representatives rely on political parties to gain office, and are likely to cast their votes along party lines. Their loyalty is split between the party and their personal views. Representatives selected by sortition are not indebted to anyone for their position. Their loyalty is strictly to their conscience. Before a random selection can be made, the pool of candidates must be defined. Many methods have been advanced to select from the population at large, or from subsets screened by education, experience, testing, etc. Modern computer technologies enable such qualification systems making sortition technically viable. Had these computer systems existed when the Founding Fathers designed our democracy, I suspect Thomas Jefferson would have argued for sortition. Democracy progressed when we abandoned the notion that kings had been anointed by God. Similarly, sortition is a modernization of democracy that makes us uncomfortable because it requires that we rethink the concept of voting. But consider that we use sortition to select juries empowered to make life and death decisions. And that sortition embodies an extremely attractive characteristic: It gets rid of politicians. What do you think? Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon. Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now