293 research outputs found
Message received? Examining transmission in deliberative systems
No full textWith the systemic turn in deliberative democratic theory, there is renewed and broadened emphasis on the inclusion of all affected by a political decision in the making of those decisions. The key enabler of inclusion at a system level is transmission: theoretically a deliberative system is more democratic if it can foster the transmission of claims and ideas across different sites, especially between informal sites of public deliberation and the more formal institutions of political decision-making. Yet little is known about the mechanisms of transmission in deliberative systems. How, and to what effect, is transmission facilitated in practice? This paper draws on case studies of three promising mechanisms of deliberative transmission: institutional, innovative and discursive. We discuss the key factors that enable or hinder different forms of transmission, and reflect on the ways in which they might be strengthened in deliberative systems. Our analysis suggests that the systemic turn in deliberative democracy should go hand-in-hand with a nuanced understanding of how transmission occurs across different sites. As such, our discussion has important implications for deliberative scholars and practitioners as they go about conceptualising, studying and steering deliberative democracy at the large scale
Mending Democracy:A response to our readers
Full text linkIn this piece we respond to three commentators of our book, Mending Democracy, and emphasize the ways the book seeks to contribute to the theory and practice of democracy. We reflect on the possibilities and limits of democratic mending in societies characterised by economic inequality and asymmetric power relations, as well as in countries with less established institutions of liberal democracy. We draw attention to the agency and creativity of ordinary people in advancing meaningful democratic reform even under less favourable conditions, and in unlikely places.</p
Studying public deliberation after the systemic turn: the crucial role for interpretive research
Full text linkThe recent shift towards a deliberative systems approach suggests understanding public deliberation as a communicative activity occurring in a diversity of spaces. While theoretically attractive, the deliberative systems approach raises a number of methodological questions for empirical social scientists. For example, how to identify multiple communicative sites within a deliberative system, how to study connections between different sites, and how to assess the impact of the broader context on deliberative forums and systems? Drawing on multiple case studies, this article argues that interpretive research methods are well-suited to studying the ambiguities, dynamics and politics of complex deliberative systems
Dramaturgical analysis
No full textThis chapter introduces Dramaturgical Analysis as a way of analysing the performative aspects of public deliberation. It outlines the key dimensions of dramaturgical analysis including scripting, setting, staging and performance, and shows how these dimensions can be used to analyse public deliberation in structured forums, the broader public sphere and in policymaking processes. Dramaturgical analysis directs the researcher’s attention to often-overlooked aspects of public deliberation, such as the performative styles of the actors involved in deliberation, the symbols and artefacts they use to stage their arguments, to reach out and persuade diverse audiences. The chapter illustrates the application of dramaturgical analysis in deliberative democracy research and presents this analysis as a particularly promising way of investigating non-verbal practices and performances in public deliberation
Researching Deliberative Democracy:Methods and Approaches
No full textAs the field of deliberative democracy continues to grow, methodological questions loom large: Which methods are a good fit for the study of deliberative democracy? How can we translate normative theory into empirical research? Can the methods used for the study of deliberation in small-scale settings be used to assess deliberation at the large scale? This book aims to answer these and many other questions and showcase a variety of methods and approaches used in deliberative democracy research. We identify the strengths and limitations of each method and reflect on how different methods can be combined to generate a comprehensive and multidimensional account of deliberative democracy. As editors of this book, our goal is both ambitious and modest. It is ambitious insofar as we hope to provide a ‘go-to resource’ for anyone wishing to study deliberative democracy. It is modest insofar as we recognize that this book, or any book for that matter, can never be complete in its coverage of methods, especially in a dynamic and growing field of study. Nevertheless, we have put our best efforts into curating a volume that features both established and emerging methods for researching deliberative democracy
Mending democracy: democratic repair in disconnected times
No full textThe fabric of democracy is threadbare in many contemporary societies. Connections that are vital to the functioning and integrity of our democratic systems are wearing thin. Citizens are increasingly disconnected from their elected representatives and from each other in polarised public spheres, and alienated from complex systems of public policy. In such disconnected times, how can we strengthen and renew our democracies?This book develops the idea of democratic mending as a way of advancing a more connective approach to democratic reform. It is informed by three rich empirical cases of connectivity in practice, as well as cutting-edge debates in deliberative democracy.The empirical cases uncover empowering and transformative modes of political engagement that are vital for democratic renewal. The diverse actors in this book are not withdrawing, resisting or seeking autonomy from conventional institutions of representative democracy but actively experimenting with ways to improve and engage with them. Through their everyday practices of democratic mending they undertake crucial systemic repair work and strengthen the integrity of our democratic fabric in ways that are yet to be fully acknowledged by scholars and practitioners of democratic reform
Beyond citizens' assemblies: expanding the repertoire of democratic reform
No full textThere is broad support for democratizing the policy process by better connecting mass publics and governing elites. In policy terms, these efforts have become closely associated with deliberative mini-publics, especially CAs (CA). The wisdom accumulated on these novel practices is impressive, but also highlights important limitations. Drawing on recent developments in deliberative theory and our own empirical work on other democratic practices, we suggest expanding the repertoire of democratic reform beyond the current focus of "designing" one-off novel deliberative forums to thinking more systemically about ways to "mend" the fabric of democracy. Democratic mending involves strengthening and sustaining democratic connections between people and the processes and institutions that govern them. We argue that mending is a vital component both of better integrating forums like CAs into their political and administrative context, and, more radically, for expanding the repertoire of practices for democratic reform in contemporary governance.</p
Bouncing Back or Forward? Two Approaches to Democratic Resilience After Extremist Attacks
No full textViolent extremist attacks pose a serious threat to democracy, undermining its institutions, norms and practices. This article examines the disruptive impact of violent extremism on the public sphere and considers the role of political leaders in responding to these challenges. Leaders are widely recognised as the key actors shaping the public discourse after extremist attacks, by either reinforcing or resisting the division intended by these attacks. Yet, their role in building democratic resilience – that is, fostering the public sphere’s ability to respond to extremist attacks without compromising its democratic commitments – remains underexplored. Drawing on a range of case studies, the article examines the spectrum of leaders’ responses to violent extremist attacks and their effects on democratic resilience. It identifes two distinct approaches to democratic resilience: ‘bouncing back’ by maintaining the status quo, or ‘bouncing forward’ by deepening democratic commitments. The article considers the implications of each approach and underscores the necessity of the latter in strengthening the public sphere and its deliberative capacity in the aftermath of extremist attacks.</p
Symposium:revisiting the three pillars of Deliberative Policy Analysis
No full textThis mini-symposium revisits the three pillars of Deliberative Policy Analysis (DPA): deliberation, interpretation and practice. DPA was originally intended as a moral-analytical programme that integrated these pillars, but policy analysts working in this tradition seem to have mainly been guided by one specific pillar, interpretation We believe this has not only confounded the nature and potential of DPA but has also limited the knowledge and impact of policy studies. The goal of this mini-symposium is to facilitate a dialogue between representatives of the three pillars and the authors of DPA on how interpretation, practice, and deliberation could be integrated. It originates from a roundtable discussion organized at the ECPR General Conference 2018 in Hamburg. Each representative discusses the nature and development of their pillar and reflects on its value for DPA, followed by an author reflection on the past and future course of DPA. First, Selen Ercan explores the deliberative pillar. Second, Anna Durnová delves into the interpretive pillar. Third, Anne Loeber examines the practice pillar. Finally, Hendrik Wagenaar offers his author reflections. Taken together, this mini-symposium frames the focus and aims of this special issue and sets a course for the future development of DPA.</p
- …
