Each year have citizens register of their public participation duty by naming the issue that most interests them. Through a lottery system select a random sample of a few thousand citizens in places across the nation to deliberate a specific issue. Convene the random sample of citizens, place them in tables of ten with diverse people, supply them with neutral educational materials and let them deliberate a variety of options to shape pending policy issue. After small group deliberations among diverse people ask the people to rank order their choices for addressing the issue using audience response system.
Make public participation a responsibility for every citizen to take seriously—like jury duty.
Comments (5)
And, like jury duty, a mandated form of participation would help ensure that those participating are not solely those with the privileges of time and resources to do so.
Moreover, it could broaden the scope of ideas generated in these deliberations, and would be especially helpful in cases of public policy decisions that involve moral hazard challenges. For instance, how do we pass a policy helping homeowners threatened with foreclosure without punishing those who have struggled, but succeeded at making their payments? A public deliberation may be a good step towards finding a policy middle ground.
Great idea.
This is a big idea that needs and deserves further discussion.
"Just doin my Civic Duty"
Disney's Pirates of the Carribean on BLURAY now!
Wonderful idea! I could see this happening in my community.
In a free country this should not be mandate. Since we have a judicial system, requiring citizens to participate in Judicial matter about it's citizens as in Jury Duty is one of the only mandates I think there should be.
Forced draft into Military service is another discussion altogether and that's about as forceful in civic duty as anyone can get!!!