Edmund Lewis Maklouf

Edmund Lewis Maklouf investigates how groups reach fair, legitimate decisions — and how new models of democracy can better reflect real consensus. His work explores voting systems, collective intelligence, and the cultural dimensions of agreement, drawing on perspectives from both modern governance and traditional Indigenous knowledge. Through his ongoing research, Maklouf develops practical frameworks for participation and deliberation, helping communities and institutions navigate complex questions of representation and legitimacy.

Educated at Eton College and Stanford University, Maklouf first studied group communication and decision-making processes before founding several start-ups in the emerging field of democracy technology. These ventures built tools aimed at improving participation, representation, and collaborative governance at scale. His research later took him to Barcelona, where he deepened his study of voting systems and legitimacy, and began a lasting collaboration with leaders of the Arhuaco tribe in Colombia. Their traditions of consensus and guardianship profoundly shaped his approach to collective decision-making. 

Today, as ambassador for the Arhuaco Sen Foundation, Maklouf works to bridge Indigenous perspectives with contemporary debates on democracy and stewardship. His latest project, The Majority Myth, grows from years of exploring Collective Agreement—a framework combining formal voting theory, lived democratic practice, and Indigenous models of consensus to ask when a decision can truly claim to speak for “the people.

Edmund also publishes Unfair, a Substack newsletter and podcast exploring the hidden dynamics of fairness, legitimacy, and collective decision‑making. Each edition examines how power, technology, and culture shape what we call “democracy” — from the design of voting systems to the ethics of representation and the influence of storytelling on public consent. Through essays, interviews, and audio investigations, Unfair connects theory and lived experience, offering a space to rethink how societies decide together.