Rohini Nilekani Quotes

Increased town size hurts real democracy in two ways. First… it dramatically reduces the percentage of citizens who attend town meetings. Second, town size increases the number of citizens who attend, which dramatically reduces the percentage of these attendees who participate.”

All I wanted was for the public to be able to have a say in how they are governed. That is a milestone we left a long time ago.

Legislating should be done in a manner that is understandable to the governed.

Politics is people.

The reason it takes so long to pass legislation is to give each and every one of you an opportunity to be heard.

Regulations are a form of legislation and should be decided by a political process, not more or better benefit-cost analyses.

Citizens are refined, cultivated, and very political. I believe in the legitimacy of their participation.

Democracy, in brief, requires government by parties because the citizens are too numerous, too ill-informed and too preoccupied to come together spontaneously to choose the policies and leaders they wish to prevail. Political machinery has to be worked. The parties work it.

In the democratic countries generally, the great body of citizens are refusing to wait until negotiations are over or policies are acted upon or even determined. They demand to know what is going on and to have an opportunity to express their opinions at all stages of diplomatic proceedings…. public opinion will be increasingly not merely the ultimate judge but an immediate and active force in negotiation.

I grew up when 'Schoolhouse Rock' taught millions of American kids how a bill becomes a law.

Connectivity is important to our state, including the opportunity for our citizens to see our legislative process at work.

If you want to decide the question of migration without asking your citizens against the will of the people, you are fighting a losing battle.

Persuade your fellow citizens it's a good idea and pass a law. That's what democracy is all about. It's not about nine superannuated judges who have been there too long, imposing these demands on society.

The only way change happens is when people become more significantly involved in the political process. We have to increase voter turnout and citizen participation so that people know what's going on and demand a government that works for everybody and not just the one percent.

I always say, when they ask me about American politics, is for you guys to decide who you elect.

Decision making in a democracy depends above all on knowledge and not just the intel available to presidents and policymakers.

Democracy is a daring concept - a hope that we'll be best governed if all of us participate in the act of government. It is meant to be a conversation, a place where the intelligence and local knowledge of the electorate sums together to arrive at actions that reflect the participation of the largest possible number of people.

In Parliament we debate on and we decide the laws that are going to govern the country.

There is also something called the Legislature. There is something called the press. There is something called people. These are all different players on the stage.

In a democracy, citizens pass judgment on their government, and if they are kept in the dark about what their government is doing, they cannot be in a position to make well-grounded decisions.

Representative government demands an ongoing conversation between legislators and constituents.

Senators will do what they think they need to do to represent their constituents.

We represent people, and any good congressperson wants to know how their people at home feel about issues. I can tell you for sure in our office that is taken into account, and that is true for any congresspersons I know.

All we have is our vote. But it's powerful.

Don't underestimate questions from the crowd; technology has made voters more informed than ever.