Mini-Publics and the Maxi-Public: Investigating the Perceived Legitimacy of Citizens’ Assemblies in a Deeply Divided Place

Deliberative theory offers a potential solution by advocating the direct involvement of ordinary citizens in structured decision-making. This approach has been increasingly applied to real-world decision-making through mini-public initiatives.

This thesis investigates the largely neglected relationship between citizens’ assemblies, as one established form of mini-public, and their perceived legitimacy from the perspective of the maxi-public. Compared to other modes of decision-making, to what extent do people regard citizens’ assemblies as legitimate? And are there design features of citizens’ assemblies that strengthen or weaken perceptions of their legitimacy?<br><br> These questions are applied to the deeply divided case of Northern Ireland, where it can be particularly challenging to design democratic institutions that command popular legitimacy.