Greg on strengthening democracy by adding a bit of randomness. A very interesting idea!
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Sometimes a little randomness is the key to a more effective democracy.
At first blush this is a remarkable assertion. We are justifiably incensed when the poor are jailed and the rich go free. Our faith in democracy is shaken when legitimate elections results are questioned, or settled precedent is upended by a partisan court.
As Blackstone argued in Commentaries on the Laws of England (1783), the law should be “permanent, uniform, and universal”.
But perhaps stability can emerge out of chance. After researching over 2500 years of democratic governing experience, scholars such as Bernard Manin observe that randomness, historically speaking, was the ultimate guarantor of fair elections and predictable lawmaking.
Beginning with ancient Athens in 508 B.C.E:
For centuries despots and political elites controlled the city-state. Outraged citizens, refusing to accept perpetual chaos, implored the populist leader Kleisthenes to free them from this vicious cycle.
His innovative solution was systemic randomness.
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