Public Deliberation

Framing and Public Deliberation

by Itay Gabay

Based on a synthesis of the empirically implicated normative ideas of deliberative democracy, this paper discusses (1)... more Based on a synthesis of the empirically implicated normative ideas of deliberative democracy, this paper discusses (1) the disagreements and differences that both call for and hamper deliberation and (2) the discursive practices that articulate disagreements and reflect differences that may be conceptualized in terms of “framing.” Using the Occupy movement as a case study, this paper looks at deliberative democracy in terms of political actors’ discursive practices and utilizes framing to bring such discussion toward developing empirically verifiable proposition. 

Requirements of a European Public Sphere. Civil Society, Self, and the Institutionalization of Citizenship.“

by Carlos Closa

Wahl-Jorgensen, K. (2002). The normative-economic justification for public discourse: Letters to the editor as a “wide open” forum. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 79(1), 121-133.

by Karin Wahl-Jorgensen

"Where are the Missing Masses? The Quasi-publics and Non-publics of Technoscience"

by shiju sam varughese

Minerva: A Review of Science, Learning and Policy, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2012 (Special Issue: Young Scholars Take a Forward Look), DOI 10.1007/s11024-012-9197-3

The paper offers a political-philosophical analysis of the state and publics in the age of technoscience to propose... more The paper offers a political-philosophical analysis of the state and publics in the age of technoscience to propose three distinct categories of publics: scientific-citizen publics constituted by civil society, quasi-publics that initiate another kind of engagement through the activation of ‘political society,’ and non-publics cast outside these spheres of engagement, based on the empirical contexts of public engagement with technoscience in non-western contexts like India.

Reciprocity as deliberative capacity: Lessons from a citizens deliberation on carbon pricing mechanisms in Australia

by Alex Lo

Lo, A.Y., Alexander K.S., Proctor, W., Ryan, A. (2012). Environment and Planning C: Government & Policy. [Accepted for publication May 2012].

Australia has seen a deep division in opinion in search of a carbon pricing mechanism. While concepts of carbon... more Australia has seen a deep division in opinion in search of a carbon pricing mechanism. While concepts of carbon taxation and emission trading have comparable public support, climate scepticism is influencing the debates in political and public spheres in downplaying the need for carbon pricing. Public deliberation forum is a possible engagement option to address the conflict inherent in climate policy preferences. This research explores the way that a deliberative forum promoted effective communication between participants through which conflict between policy preferences became more tractable. The forum involved 24 Australians. While it did not eliminate disagreement in preferences in the choice of carbon pricing mechanisms, participants reached consensus on fundamental principles such as the need for trusted sources of information, trusted governance procedures and accountability by appropriate institutions. Shared political expectations encouraged dialogue and cooperation in discussions by enhancing reciprocal understanding. Two sceptical participants who originally had strong disagreements with the rest of the group found common ground. Public deliberative forums that are conducive to reciprocal communication are able to provide a mechanism for joint problem-solving processes that are less adversarial and more responsive to the variety of people’s preferences.

O problema da participação política no modelo deliberativo de democracia / The question of the political participation within the deliberativa model of democracy

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

Reference: MARQUES, F. P. J. A. O problema da participação política no modelo deliberativo de democracia. In: Revista de Sociologia e Política (UFPR. Impresso), v.20, n. 41, pp. 21-35. 2012

Title in English: The question of the political participation within the deliberativa model of democracy. Text in... more Title in English: The question of the political participation within the deliberativa model of democracy. Text in Portuguese. Abstract in English: This paper discusses the premises of the deliberative model of democracy as they address the issue of political participation. We attempt to clarify what political participation means for those who use this model, while at the same time looking at some of the major critiques that have been directed toward it. Through a review of an important part of the literature, and without losing sight of earlier systematizations of democratic theory, three fundamental conditions for engendering participation according to this discursive model are pointed to: political institutions should create and offer citizens opportunities to participate in public input; improvement in people's socio-economic condition must be made; attention should be given to particular principles that have consistent regulatory influence on the interactions and arguments in question. This is followed by attention to the criticisms raised and flaws detected by deliberationism's detractors. At the end of the text, a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the model is presented, along with a discussion of the problem of participation in contemporary democracies.

Keywords: Participation; Deliberation; Democracy; Representation.

A New Hope for Philosophers’ Appeal to Intuition

by Damián Szmuc

Essays in Philosophy: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Philosophical Methodology.

Some recent researches in experimental philosophy have posed a problem for philosophers’ appeal to intuition... more Some recent researches in experimental philosophy have posed a problem for philosophers’ appeal to intuition (hereinafter referred to as PAI); the aim of this paper is to offer an answer to this challenge. The thesis against PAI implies that, given some experimental results, intuition does not seem to be a reliable
epistemic source, and —more importantly— given the actual state of knowledge about its operation, we do not have sufficient resources to mitigate its errors and thus establish its reliability. That is why PAI is hopeless. Throughout this paper I will defend my own conception of PAI, which I have called the Deliberative
Conception, and consequently, I will defend intersubjective agreement as a means to mitigate PAI errors, offering empirical evidence from recent studies on the Argumentative Theory of Reason that favor the conception I defend here. Finally, I will reply to some objections that might arise against the Deliberative Conception, which will lead me to discuss some metaphilosophical issues that are significantly relevant for the
future of the dispute about the appeal to intuition.

Deliberating for Nothing? Countervailing Effects of Participatory Devices: A Case Study of the Electronic Town Meeting in Catalonia, Poitou-Charentes and Tuscany (2009)

by Stephanie Wojcik

With J. Talpin, RC 05 Comparative Studies on Local Government and Politics 21st World Conference of the International Political Science Association, Santiago, Chile, July 11-16, 2009.

When the youth talk about climate change. A comparison of the learning potential of on-line and face-to-face political discussions (2009)

by Stephanie Wojcik

With J. Talpin, 5th ECPR General Conference, Section 18 “Internet and Politics” Panel “The Internet, Youth Political Knowledge and Political Participation”, Potsdam, Germany, September 10-12, 2009.

To what extent is political participation deepened and enriched by the internet? Is the internet more inclusive –... more To what extent is political participation deepened and enriched by the internet? Is the internet more inclusive – especially towards the youth – than traditional forms of participation implying physical contact? Do people learn more by discussing on the internet – and especially on on-line political forums – than by deliberating face-to-face? We aim at answering these questions by presenting the results of a research based on the observation of a participatory democracy experience that allowed both on-line and face-to-face participation, namely the Ideal-EU project, carried out by the Tuscany (Italy), Catalonia (Spain) and Poitou-Charentes (France) regions.
Ideal-EU was aimed at involving young people – between 14 and 30 – to discuss the issue of climate change in order to produce a report to be handed to the President of the European Parliament Commission on Climate Change. It first consisted in on-line discussions on forums, and then in a « e-town meeting » organized in the three Regions' capitals in November 2008, involving both small groups discussions face-to-face and voting through key pads. The comparison of these two stages of the
experience will allow evaluating the respective effects of on-line and face-to-face political discussions on young participant’s political knowledge. Using both content analysis of websites, direct observation of the assembly, questionnaires to both on-line and assembly participants, and interviews, we will attempt to evaluate the respective effects of these different forms of civic engagement for actors' level of knowledge on climate change and on their political competenceore generally.

Participação e Deliberação na Internet: Um estudo de caso do Orçamento Participativo Digital de Belo Horizonte

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

Co-authored with Rafael Sampaio and Rousiley Maia.

Text in Portuguese. Abstract in Portuguese: Esse artigo busca avaliar trocas discursivas realizadas no fórum online do... more Text in Portuguese. Abstract in Portuguese: Esse artigo busca avaliar trocas discursivas realizadas no fórum online do orçamento participativo digital (OPD) de Belo Horizonte, Brasil. Para tanto, é formulado um modelo de análise das discussões entre os cidadãos participantes do programa baseado nas teorias de democracia deliberativa. São analisadas as mensagens dos usuários (n=375) postadas na ferramenta de comentários do site do OPD. Os resultados apontam que os aspectos discursivos concernentes à reciprocidade e à reflexividade se mostraram relativamente escassos; entretanto, o respeito pelos outros interlocutores, bem como a construção da justificativa dos pontos de vista expressos no fórum, alcançaram índices elevados, mesmo não havendo empowerment da ferramenta ou incentivo por parte da Prefeitura. Conclui-se que a internet pode, efetivamente, oferecer ambientes voltados para o estabelecimento de trocas discursivas qualificadas e que, mesmo nos casos onde há baixos índices de deliberatividade, há progressos importantes do ponto de vista do aprendizado a que são expostos os usuários.

Participation and Deliberation on the Internet: A case study on Digital Participatory Budgeting in Belo Horizonte

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

Co-authored with Rafael Sampaio e Rousiley Maia.

This paper aims to examine how political conversations take place on the digital discursive tools offered as part of... more This paper aims to examine how political conversations take place on the digital discursive tools offered as part of the Digital Participatory Budget (OPD) in Belo Horizonte (Brazil). The authors propose an analytical model based on deliberative theories in order to investigate the discussions over this participatory program. The main sample consists of the messages posted by the users (n=375) on the commentaries section. The results show that reciprocity and reflexivity among interlocutors are rare; however, the respect among the participants and the justification levels in several arguments were high during the discussion. The authors conclude that, even in a situation in which there is no empowerment of the digital tools, the internet can effectively provide environments to enhance a qualified discursive exchange. In spite of low levels of deliberativeness, the case study shows that there are important gains concerning social learning among the participants.

Deliberação Mediada: Uma tipologia das funções dos media para a formação do debate público / Mediated Deliberation: A preliminar typology

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

Title in English: Mediated Deliberation: A Typology. Text in Portuguese. O objetivo do trabalho é oferecer uma... more Title in English: Mediated Deliberation: A Typology. Text in Portuguese. O objetivo do trabalho é oferecer uma sistematização teórica acerca do tema da deliberação mediada. De início, são apresentados, brevemente, os princípios deliberacionistas. A seguir, discute-se o lugar da comunicação de massa nas práticas discursivas a permearem a democracia contemporânea, enfatizando-se a contribuição que os media ofertam à noção de sistema deliberativo. Partindo do exame de um conjunto de trabalhos a lidar com a interface entre deliberação e comunicação, detecta-se a existência de um intervalo compreensivo gerado pelas distintas acepções de deliberação mediada expostas nestas referências. Propõe-se, então, uma sistematização teórica da ideia de deliberação mediada, sublinhando-se três funções dos media para a formação do debate público: 1) Instrumentos; 2) Provedores autônomos de insumos informacionais; 3) Agentes de interesses a tomarem parte nos debates.

Internet, Canais de Participação e Efeitos Políticos: Um estudo do Portal da Câmara / Internet, Participatory Tools and Political Effects: A Study on the Brazilian Case

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

Title in English: Internet, Participatory Tools and Political Effects: A Study on the Brazilian Case. Text in... more Title in English: Internet, Participatory Tools and Political Effects: A Study on the Brazilian Case. Text in Portuguese. Abstract in English available: This article reports the trajectory of a doctoral research aimed to investigate how two central institutions in the Brazilian state promote citizens’ political participation by using the internet. More specifically, the study investigated the participatory uses of digital media on the Brazilian Presidency website and on the House of Representatives website. First of all, the research catalogues the participatory tools found on both the websites. Then, one examines all these mechanisms by taking into account its political characteristics. Finally, the potential effects of citizens’ participation on the political decision-making process are qualitatively analyzed. The research concluded that each of these institutions – the Brazilian Presidency and the House of Representatives – takes advantage of the digital channels of communication in different ways. This conclusion reinforces the idea that the actual uses of the internet and its devices are more significant than the latent potentialities of internet.

A Idéia de Democracia em Perspectiva: Crise, Avanços e Desafios / The idea of democracy in perspective

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

Title in English: The Idea of Democracy in Perspective: A Study on the Core Values of Our Democratic Systems. Text and... more Title in English: The Idea of Democracy in Perspective: A Study on the Core Values of Our Democratic Systems. Text and Abstract in Portuguese: Este trabalho procura estabelecer uma polêmica com a idéia, defendida por um conjunto de autores, de que as democracias contemporâneas estariam em crise, sobretudo devido a problemas como corrupção; falta de confiança nos partidos políticos e na eficácia das instituições do estado; apatia e cinismo da esfera civil, dentre outras questões. Tomando a perspectiva de que as práticas democráticas não podem ser vistas de forma unitária - isto é, ao falar de democracia, deve-se ter em mente aspectos tão diversos como a busca pelo aperfeiçoamento de liberdades, direitos, transparência e, inclusive, dos mecanismos de participação -, o argumento é construído no sentido de se reconhecer os méritos e as conquistas políticas obtidas nas últimas décadas em áreas como, por exemplo, a proteção a minorias ou o fortalecimento dos dispositivos de accountability. Reforça-se, em outras palavras, a premissa de que democracia deve ser vista como um projeto em construção; que enfrenta dificuldades peculiares em determinadas sociedades (é o caso de nosso País, marcado por uma tradição patrimonialista); e que tais dificuldades, muito embora necessitem ser enfrentadas, não são motivos suficientes para se apontar uma crise . Ao mesmo tempo, o ensaio alega que um dos princípios caros à idéia de democracia, a saber, a participação política dos cidadãos, não obstante ser visto com reserva por determinadas tendências teóricas, também precisa ser considerado um componente essencial para se afirmar a consistência de um regime de governo fundamentado na idéia de soberania popular..

Arguing in Internet chat rooms: Argumentative adaptations to chat room design and some consequences for public deliberation at a distance

by Mark Aakhus

Weger, H., & Aakhus, M. (2003). Arguing in internet chat rooms Argumentative adaptations to chat room design and some consequences for public deliberation at a distance. Argument & Advocacy, 40, 23-38.

Once identified as a cause of citizens exclusion from public dialogue, electronic media in its most recent forms may... more Once identified as a cause of citizens exclusion from public dialogue, electronic media in its most recent forms may foster greater opportunity for broader participation in discussions of public policy. The disappearance of citizen participation in the public sphere (e.g., Goodnight, 1982) has been associated with the rise of early forms of electronic media such as television, radio, and newspapers. The public deliberation in the mass media age changed the nature of argumentation in the public sphere (e.g., Sennett, 1977). Traditionally, public deliberation involved localized communication events which brought the community together and encouraged participation by ordinary members of the public. The shift to public argument in mass media resulted in non-interactive, distant, and passive communication events in which the public was neitiler given access, nor encouraged to participate (see Hollihan, Klumpp, & Riley, 1999). Instead, technical elites (those with technical or expert knowledge in a particular field) spoke for the audience members bringing the "voice of reason" to public debate. There has been a radical change since that time, however, in the media available to ordinary citizens for interactive communication at a distance, thereby reinventing the possibilities for engaging in public discourse.

Indiferencia, preocupación y auto-reflexión: el carácter de la voluntad en la autonomía personal

by Agustín Reyes Morel

"Wantonness, care and self-reflection: the nature of the will in personal autonomy". Artículo publicado en Actio, nº13, diciembre 2011, pp.47-60. Se puede acceder al sitio web de la revista a través de la siguiente dirección: http://www.fhuce.edu.uy/public/actio/

En el artículo se describe el modelo de voluntad racional autónoma que presenta Harry Frankfurt (buscando levantar... more En el artículo se describe el modelo de voluntad racional autónoma que presenta Harry Frankfurt (buscando levantar parcialmente la crítica que Charles Taylor le realiza a esta perspectiva); se intenta caracterizar la indiferencia sobre la voluntad como un posible efecto de la patología social del consumismo y se esbozan algunas ideas referidas a la potencialidad de la deliberación pública para revertir la apatía de los wantons sobre el carácter de su voluntad.

Public Sphere Reconsidered: Theories and Practices

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

E-book organized by João Carlos Correia and Rousiley Maia. I have a chapter published in this book. The text (available only in Portuguese) was written in co-autorship with Camilo Aggio and Rafael Sampaio.

Text in Portuguese. Abstract in English. TITLE: Online Campaigns, Political Participation and the Public Sphere: The... more Text in Portuguese. Abstract in English. TITLE: Online Campaigns, Political Participation and the Public Sphere: The Case of the Open Government Plan in the 2010 Brazilian Elections..ABSTRACT: This paper aims at examining the online political discussions which took place on the website Proposta Serra , an open government plan initiative launched by the Brazilian Social Democracy Party´s candidate José Serra during the 2010 Brazilian presidential elections. The Proposta Serra´s purpose was to engage voters and campaing agents in political discussions in order to create a collaborative government plan. The project´s website reproduces some of the features of social network sites, such as public or semi-public profiles, photo albums and blogs. The Proposta Serra s singular characteristic was to give voters the opportunity to create thematic online forums turned to debate issues such as agriculture, housing, urban and rural public infra-structure and education. Through content analysis, we evaluated the deliberative quality of (N=200) messages exchanged by the participants in 4 different forums. Five analytical categories taken from the current online deliberation literature were used: Reciprocity, Reflexivity, Respect, Justification and Information. The results show high ratings of deliberation in the political discussions, demonstrating the forums´ usefulness to promote qualified cognitive exchanges. However, the lack of transparency in the selection process of voters suggestions decreased significantly the user sense of political efficacy

Political debate on weblogs: a virtual public sphere for deliberation?

by Gil Ferreira

Distinguishing inclusion & participation in public engagement

by Kathy Quick

Quick, Kathryn S. and Feldman, Martha S. 2011. Distinguishing inclusion and participation. Journal of Planning Education and Research 31(3) 272–290.

This article argues that participation and inclusion are independent dimensions of public engagement and elaborates... more This article argues that participation and inclusion are independent dimensions of public engagement and elaborates the relationships of inclusion with deliberation and diversity. Inclusion continuously creates a community involved in defining and addressing public issues; participation emphasizes public input on the content of programs and policies. Features of inclusive processes are coproducing the process and content of decision making, engaging multiple ways of knowing, and sustaining temporal openness. Using a community of practice lens, we compare the consequences of participatory and inclusive practices in four processes, finding that inclusion supports an ongoing community with capacity to address a stream of issues.

Keywords: inclusion, participation, public engagement, deliberation, diversity, community of practice

Deference in Numbers: Consensus, Dissent and Judgment in Millʼs Account of Authority

by Alfred Moore

WORKING PAPER. Originally prepared for delivery at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association, San Antonio, 21-23 April 2011.
DRAFT ONLY - PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE
Comments welcome!

The authority of a consensus of experts is repeatedly invoked and contested in political controversies involving... more The authority of a consensus of experts is repeatedly invoked and contested in political controversies involving scientific knowledge. In this essay I use Mill’s account of authority to shed light on these problems. Mill holds that a consensus of experts has a special claim to authority, but he also champions the value of contestation and dissent, arguing that we can rationally defer to a well contested viewpoint. This seems contradictory: a consensus does not tell us on its face whether it resulted from vigorous contestation; and if contestation is visible then there is clearly no consensus to defer to. Far from being unaware or self-contradictory, I suggest that Mill is using this tension to account for both the need for intellectual authority in complex societies and the dangers of unthinking deference. His attempt to manage this tension can help us conceive democratic responses to the problems of expert authority.