Overview

The first comprehensive account of the booming phenomenon of deliberative mini-publics, this book offers a systematic review of their variety, discusses their weaknesses, and recommends ways to make them a viable component of democracy. The book takes stock of the diverse practices of deliberative mini-publics and, more concretely, looks at preconditions, processes, and outcomes. It provides a critical assessment of the experience with mini-publics; in particular their lack of policy impact. Bringing together leading scholars in the field, notably James S Fishkin and Mark E Warren, Deliberative Mini-Publics will speak to anyone with an interest in democracy and democratic innovations.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kimmo Grӧnlund ,  André Dr Bӓchtiger ,  Maija Setälä
Publisher:   ECPR Press
Imprint:   ECPR Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.249kg
ISBN:  

9781907301322

ISBN 10:   1907301321
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   01 July 2014
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents List of Figures and Tables vii List of Abbreviations viii Contributors ix Foreword by John Dryzek xiii Preface xv Chapter One: Introduction 1 Kimmo Groenlund, Andre Bachtiger and Maija Setala Chapter Two: Defining Mini-Publics 9 Matthew Ryan and Graham Smith Chapter Three: Deliberative Democracy in Context: Reflections on Theory and Practice 27 James S. Fishkin Chapter Four: What Would Dahl Say?: An Appraisal of the Democratic Credentials of Deliberative Polls (R) and Other Mini-Publics 41 Ian O'Flynn and Gaurav Sood Chapter Five: Normative Theory and Experimental Research in the Study of Deliberative Mini-Publics 59 Maija Setala and Kaisa Herne Chapter Six: Facilitating Deliberation: The Role of Impartial Intermediaries in Deliberative Mini-Publics 77 Claudia Landwehr Chapter Seven: Online Deliberation: Theory and Practice in Virtual Mini-Publics 93 Kim Strandberg and Kimmo Groenlund Chapter Eight: `Gentlemanly Conversation' or Vigorous Contestation?: An Exploratory Analysis of Communication Modes in a Transnational Deliberative Poll (R) (Europolis) 115 Andre Bachtiger and Marlene Gerber Chapter Nine: Deliberative Democracy in Divided Belgium: An Alternative for a Democracy on the Edge? 135 Didier Caluwaerts and Dimokritos Kavadias Chapter Ten: Participant Bias and Success in Deliberative Mini-Publics 157 Michael E. Morrell Chapter Eleven: Scaling Up Deliberation to Mass Publics: Harnessing Mini-Publics in a Deliberative System 177 Simon Niemeyer Chapter Twelve: Deliberative Democracy and Framing Effects: Why Frames are a Problem and How Deliberative Mini-Publics Might Overcome Them 203 Aubin Calvert and Mark E. Warren Chapter Thirteen: Towards a New Era of Deliberative Mini-Publics 225 Andre Bachtiger, Maija Setala and Kimmo Groenlund Index 247

Reviews

Deliberative Mini-Publics offers a multifaceted exploration - at once normative, empirical and practical - of a growing family of institutional innovations that aim to deepen democracy by fostering citizen participation and deliberation that is fair, wise, and inclusive. This volume comes at an urgent moment when many peoples are losing faith in the central institutions that constitute representative democracy - from elections to political parties to the state itself. It offers a science and philosophy to begin to rebuild that faith by reinventing the institutions of democratic engagement. Archon Fung Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship, Harvard Kennedy School Mini-publics are an important and exciting innovation in our democratic repertoire. Bachtinger, Gronlund and Setala have brought together some of the very best scholars working on this subject and produced an outstanding volume that showcases the most up-to-date thinking and the latest research ‒ both empirical and theoretical ‒ on mini-publics. A must-read book for anyone interested in deliberative democracy and citizen participation. Simone Chambers Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto Those committed to a deliberative conception of democracy are notable for seeking to see how deliberative theory can be implemented through mini-publics. This strength of deliberative theoretical work can make it hard for the interested reader to follow developments, since there is a wealth of invention and innovation. This invaluable volume provides just what is needed. The contributions bring the reader up to date with developments in theory and practice, and open up new lines of theoretical and empirical enquiry, particularly in relation to the ways mini-publics fall short of requirements of political equality, the understanding of mini-publics in terms of experimental design, and the role of facilitation in deliberative events. Albert Weale Professor of Political Theory and Public Policy, University College London This edition on deliberative mini-publics combines in a very innovative way conceptual and empirical research. It takes into account that the question is no longer 'whether deliberative mini-publics work', but examines the outcomes and impacts of different concepts, designs and processes. Consequently it is a great starting point for answering the question whether and how deliberative mini-publics can enhance the quality of democracy. It pools all important players in the field, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art and is indispensable for anybody interested in developments towards more deliberative forms of democracy. Prof. Dr. Brigitte Geissel Head of the Democratic Innovations Research Unit, Goethe University, Frankfurt

Author Information

Kimmo Gronlund is the Director of the Social Science Research Institute at Abo Akademi. Since 2011, he is one of the two Principal Investigators of the Finnish National Election Study. He is a Convenor of the new ECPR Standing Group on Democratic Innovations. Andre Bachtiger was Swiss Chair/Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence and senior assistant at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Bern. Currently he is research professor at the University of Lucerne. He is also member of the steering committee of the new ECPR Standing Group on Democratic Innovations. Maija Setala holds an academy research fellowship from the Academy of Finland. She has been a visiting research fellow at Columbia University and Australian National University. She is also member of the steering committee of the new ECPR Standing Group on Democratic Innovations.

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