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How to constitute global citizens' forums: Key selection principles

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  • John S. Dryzek
  • Simon J. Niemeyer

Abstract

Once imagined as a theoretical possibility, global citizen deliberation is now beginning to appear in the practice of governance. How should global citizens' forums be constituted? A largely unexamined consensus on random selection as the ideal method to locate citizen participants has fractured as its limitations become more apparent. We undertake a systematic comparative examination of random selection and its alternatives, emphasizing, respectively, demographic diversity, discursive diversity, developmental participation, and affectedness. These alternatives are evaluated in terms of how well they promote inclusive and high‐quality deliberation within the forum; how well they facilitate broader functions such as recommending policy decisions, providing information to policy makers on the distribution of informed global opinion, enhancing macro‐level deliberation, and strengthening global discourses and publics; and how well they secure the perceived legitimacy of a forum. We show how different sorts of recruitment and representation might be combined to good effect, in the context of a proposal for a global citizens' assembly on genome editing.

Suggested Citation

  • John S. Dryzek & Simon J. Niemeyer, 2024. "How to constitute global citizens' forums: Key selection principles," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(4), pages 604-614, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:15:y:2024:i:4:p:604-614
    DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.13409
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bailey Flanigan & Paul Gölz & Anupam Gupta & Brett Hennig & Ariel D. Procaccia, 2021. "Fair algorithms for selecting citizens’ assemblies," Nature, Nature, vol. 596(7873), pages 548-552, August.
    2. Michael Vlerick, 2020. "Towards Global Cooperation: The Case for a Deliberative Global Citizens' Assembly," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 11(3), pages 305-314, May.
    3. Niemeyer, Simon & Veri, Francesco & Dryzek, John S. & Bächtiger, André, 2024. "How Deliberation Happens: Enabling Deliberative Reason," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 118(1), pages 345-362, February.
    4. Dryzek, John S. & Niemeyer, Simon, 2008. "Discursive Representation," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 102(4), pages 481-493, November.
    5. Goodin, Robert E., 2004. "Representing Diversity," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(3), pages 453-468, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Küblböck, Karin, 2026. "Bürger*innenräte und die Demokratisierung der Demokratie," Briefing Papers 38, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).

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