Lecture
Citizen Juries in Public Health Emergencies
- Date
- Wednesday 4 December 2024
- Time
- Address
-
Wijnhaven
Turfmarkt 99
2511 DP The Hague - Room
- 2.02
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many scholars and activists called for greater democratic input into the pandemic policymaking process at various stages. One specific proposal along these lines proposed more use of 'citizen juries'—bodies of ordinary citizens advised by experts who would then make recommendations to policymakers. This paper assesses the case for the use of minpublics in the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately concludes that the benefits of such citizen juries are worse than in ordinary contexts, and the downsides are greater. I begin by articulating the case for citizen juries generally: citizen juries do better at satisfying requirements of responsive political representation, beneficial representation, and respect for value pluralism. I then assess how citizen juries appear to do well at satisfying these requirements in a pandemic with features like COVID-19. I ultimately argue that each does far worse in the pandemic context than in other contexts. I close by briefly considering possible further avenues for research given these arguments.