Deliberative Democracy
Title
Deliberative Democracy
Author
Fishkin, James
Research Area
Social Institutions
Topic
Government Systems
Abstract
At the center of the idea, deliberative democracy is that the “will of the people” should be based on the consideration of competing arguments about their merits of each policy choice. Despite this, partisanship and electoral campaigns are designed to win elections, not promote citizen deliberation. The focus of most modern research on deliberation by ordinary citizens rather than by representatives or office holders raises interesting questions about who deliberates, what is the policy context, what rationale is used, and what criteria should evaluate deliberative processes. Access to accurate information, relevant arguments, and a representative sample are necessary for good conditions. Some criteria for evaluation include demographic and attitudinal representativeness, sample size, the opportunity to engage in arguments for and against proposals, and the elimination of distortion (e.g., misleading information).