2018/08/13 by Terrill Bouricius, Terrill G. Bouricius · 56 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Artificial intelligence #Computer science #Economics #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Game Theory and Voting Systems #Law #Law and economics #Legislature #Local Government Finance and Decentralization #Political science #Variety (cybernetics)
paper · doi:10.1177/0032329218789893
published in Politics & Society 46(3), 435-451 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2018/08/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Structural problems are examined with pairing two chambers, one selected by election and the other by sortition, into a traditional bicameral system. It is argued that an all-purpose legislative chamber modeled on existing elected chambers is a mismatch for sortition and that purported benefits of maintaining partisan elections alongside sortition are illusory. Alleged benefits of a hybrid bicameral system are shown to be outweighed by a variety of harmful effects. Furthermore, even if those harms are not substantiated, the continued existence of an elected chamber will likely result in the delimitation of the sortition chamber. Combining many different sorts of minipublics with different characteristics and functions is preferable, and a possible multibody sortition legislative system is presented. Finally, an alternative way forward for sortition is proposed by peeling away individual topic areas from elected bodies and transferring them to sortition bodies.