STUDY DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLIES New Ways to Democratize Democracy Wolfgang Merkel, Filip Mila č i ć and Andreas Schäfer September 2021 Citizens’ assemblies can ­provide a constructive response to the current erosive symptoms of re­presentative democracies by injecting the perspec­­­tives of ordinary citizens into the political process. Citizens’ assemblies must fol­low a precise design. The cru­cial criteria are: representative inclusion, high-quality delib­erative procedures, and sys­temic efficacy. They must have a binding, transparent goal, yet not specify in ad­vance what the outcome of their deliberations should be. Citizens’ assemblies are no substitute for the parties and institutions of representative democracy. But they can bring the latter closer to the citizenry and foster public will-formation.