The End of Politicians

The End of Politicians examines how sortition - the random selection of citizens for political decision-making - could transform democracy. Author Brett Hennig presents historical examples and contemporary experiments where sortition has been used successfully. Through research and case studies, Hennig demonstrates the limitations of electoral representative democracy and explores alternatives. He analyzes the problems of political parties, career politicians, and lobbying in current democratic systems. The book outlines practical frameworks for implementing citizens' assemblies and other sortition-based approaches at various levels of government. The proposals draw on both ancient Athenian democracy and modern innovations in democratic process. At its core, this work challenges fundamental assumptions about the necessity of elections and professional politicians in democratic governance. The text suggests that random selection of ordinary citizens could lead to more effective and legitimate decision-making in complex modern societies.

Readers describe this book as a clear argument for replacing elections with sortition (random selection of citizens). They note it presents examples from ancient Athens through modern citizen assemblies. Positive reviews highlight: - Clear explanation of sortition's mechanics - Real-world case studies and practical implementation details - Accessible writing style for a complex topic - Solutions-focused approach rather than just criticism Common criticisms: - Too idealistic about human nature - Insufficient addressing of sortition's potential downsides - Repetitive arguments in later chapters - Lacks detailed transition plans Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (127 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (31 ratings) One reader noted: "Makes a compelling case for random selection but glosses over the expertise needed for complex policy." Another wrote: "Changed my perspective on democracy, though I remain skeptical about full implementation." Several reviewers mentioned using the book in political science courses and discussion groups.

Against Elections by David Van Reybrouck A historical analysis of democracy's flaws and the case for selecting political representatives through citizen sortition rather than voting.

Democracy in Small Groups by John Gastil This examination of decision-making processes presents practical methods for implementing democratic practices in small-scale settings.

Open Democracy by Hélène Landemore A blueprint for transforming representative government through random selection of citizens and deliberative assemblies.

The Life and Death of Democracy by John Keane A comprehensive history of democracy from ancient times to present, tracking the evolution of representation and citizen participation in governance.

When the People Speak by James Fishkin An investigation of deliberative democracy methods and real-world experiments in citizen assemblies across different countries.

🔷 Author Brett Hennig co-founded the Sortition Foundation, which advocates for the use of randomly selected citizens in democratic decision-making processes. 🔷 The book explores "sortition" - an ancient Athenian practice of selecting political officials by lottery rather than election - as a modern alternative to electoral democracy. 🔷 Several real-world examples of citizens' assemblies are examined in the book, including Ireland's Constitutional Convention which led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015. 🔷 The author argues that a randomly selected group of citizens, given proper information and time to deliberate, often makes better decisions than elected politicians who may be influenced by special interests. 🔷 The concept of sortition discussed in the book has gained practical traction, with cities like Madrid and Belgium's German-speaking community implementing citizens' assemblies selected by lottery.