
How to Have Politics Without Politicians
From Foreign Policy Live by Foreign Policy
March 18, 2026 · 46 min
About this episode
Hélène Landemore discusses her radical proposal to replace politicians with assemblies of ordinary citizens as a solution to the crisis in democracy.
It’s no secret that democracy is in trouble. Studies show that a growing number of countries are less free, and polls suggest ordinary citizens are losing faith in their governments. What can be done to fix this? Hélène Landemore has a radical solution: to get rid of politicians and electoral politics and instead create assemblies of ordinary citizens. She explores this concept in her new book, Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule, and joins FP Live to interrogate the idea. Hélène Landemore: The Problem With Representative Democracy Nicholas Bequelin: The Age of Defensive Democracy Hélène Landemore: More Power to More People Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Guest: Hélène Landemore
Topics covered
- democracy
- citizen assemblies
- political reform
- ordinary citizens
- politicians
- government trust
Keywords
- democracy
- politicians
- citizen rule
- political assemblies
- government trust
- political reform
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule
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