The Politics of Public Deliberation

This ground breaking book provides empirical and theoretical insights into the interface between deliberative democracy and the rough and tumble of interest groups in advocacy politics. It examines how deliberative ideals work alongside the adversarial realties of interest-based politics.

'In The Politics of Public Deliberation, Carolyn Hendriks uses her wealth of experience and insight to bridge the gap between citizen deliberation and special interest advocacy. Careful analysis of German and Australian cases leads her to call for 'strategic deliberators,' those advocates willing to provisionally follow deliberative norms in pursuit of strategic objectives. Some may view such an invitation as heretical to pure deliberation, but Hendriks has found a practical way to make deliberative forums more politically legitimate and consequential. That makes this book an essential read for anyone concerned with meaningful public engagement. '

• John Gastil, Professor and Head, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, USA

  Autorentext
  CAROLYN HENDRIKS is Senior Lecturer at the Crawford School of Government and Economics at the Australian National University. She has a background in both political science and environmental engineering, and has taught and published widely on the application and politics of inclusive and deliberative forms of citizen engagement.

  Inhalt
  PART I: SETTING THE SCENE Public Deliberation in the Context of Interest Advocacy Worlds Apart or Connected? Interest Advocacy and Public Deliberation The Features and Principles of Citizens' Forums PART II: EMPIRICAL INSIGHTS CDL Case: Deliberation Waste GeneTech Case: Deliberation Digested Consumer Case: Deliberation Over-Protected Diagnostics Case: Deliberation Tested PART III: IMPLICATIONS The Challenges of Citizens' Forums Strategic Uses of Public Deliberation Accommodating Interest Advocacy in Public Deliberation References Index