Deliberative Systems
Deliberative Democracy at the Large Scale

A major new statement of deliberative theory that shows how states, even transnational systems, can be deliberatively democratic.

John Parkinson (Edited by), Jane Mansbridge (Edited by)

9781107025394, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 July 2012

204 pages
22.9 x 15 x 1.5 cm, 0.47 kg

'What does it mean for our understanding of reason-giving in a deliberative democracy to take seriously the division of political labour between the people and their various representatives? Using the notion of a deliberative system as a loosely-coupled group of institutions and practices that perform the functions of seeking truth, establishing mutual respect, and generating inclusive, egalitarian decision-making, the authors of this collection provide the reader not only with an up-to-date compendium of thinking in deliberative democracy by some of its leading theorists, but also with thought-provoking original contributions to our understanding of deliberation representative political systems. This is a book that anyone concerned with deliberative democracy will have to engage with.' Albert Weale, University College London

'Deliberative democracy' is often dismissed as a set of small-scale, academic experiments. This volume seeks to demonstrate how the deliberative ideal can work as a theory of democracy on a larger scale. It provides a new way of thinking about democratic engagement across the spectrum of political action, from towns and villages to nation states, and from local networks to transnational, even global systems. Written by a team of the world's leading deliberative theorists, Deliberative Systems explains the principles of this new approach, which seeks ways of ensuring that a division of deliberative labour in a system nonetheless meets both deliberative and democratic norms. Rather than simply elaborating the theory, the contributors examine the problems of implementation in a real world of competing norms, competing institutions and competing powerful interests. This pioneering book will inspire an exciting new phase of deliberative research, both theoretical and empirical.

1. A systemic approach to deliberative democracy Jane Mansbridge, James Bohman, Simone Chambers, Thomas Christiano, Archon Fung, John Parkinson, Dennis F. Thompson and Mark E. Warren
2. Rational deliberation among experts and citizens Thomas Christiano
3. Deliberation and mass democracy Simone Chambers
4. Representation in the deliberative system James Bohman
5. Two trust-based uses of minipublics in democratic systems Michael K. MacKenzie and Mark E. Warren
6. On the embeddedness of deliberative systems: why elitist innovations matter more Yannis Papadopoulos
7. Democratizing deliberative systems John Parkinson.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA], Sociology [JHB]