Democracy is on the run, and elected governments are suffering from a legitimacy crisis. Legislatures are increasingly seen as unrepresentative. To give legitimacy to democratic government, experts argue that we need more democracy and more opportunities for direct citizen participation. Representative democracy needs to be complemented by forms of direct engagement, such as referendums, popular votes, the recall, citizens’ juries, eDemocracy, etc. This is what we term Complementary Democracy. In this book experts from the worlds of practice and theory come together to explain – and occasionally critique – these complements to representative democracy. The volume provides an invaluable starting point for anyone who wants to know more about the new directions of democratic governance, and hopes to inspire those who seek to build stronger democracies.

• Table of Contents 6
• Introduction: Complementary Democracy – The New Frontier in Theory, Research, and Practice 8
• Functions of Deliberative Mini-Publics in Democratic Systems 14
• Participatory Budgeting: A Brief Introduction 36
• Recall Elections 56
• Referendums as Complementary Democracy 70
• Agenda Initiatives in Comparative Context 90
• Transnational Democracy’s Quest Across Borders 110
• Digital Democracy: Past, Present, and Future 122
• Sortition in Current Democratic Regimes 142
• Social Movements as Democratic Actors 160
• Performing Democracy through Local Protests: The Case of Knitting Nannas Against Gas 178
• Democracy as Art 198
• Complementary Democracy: Conclusions and the Way Ahead 204
• About the Contributors 210