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It is sometimes assumed that voting is the central mechanism for political decision-making. The contributors to this volume focus on an alternative mechanism, that is decision by discussion or deliberation. The original contributions include case studies based on historical and current instances of deliberative democracy, normative discussion of the merits of deliberation compared to other models of collective decision-making, and studies of the conditions under which it tends to improve the quality of decisions. This volume is characterized by a realistic approach to the issue of deliberative democracy. Rather than assuming that deliberative democracy is always ideal, the authors critically probe its limits and weaknesses as well as its strengths

Fairfield reviews 'The Inclusion of the Other: Studies in Political Theory' by Jurgen Habermas.

The most widely debated conception of democracy in recent years is deliberative democracy--the idea that citizens or their representatives owe each other mutually acceptable reasons for the laws they enact. Two prominent voices in the ongoing discussion are Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson. In Why Deliberative Democracy?, they move the debate forward beyond their influential book, Democracy and Disagreement. What exactly is deliberative democracy? Why is it more defensible than its rivals? By offering clear answers to these timely questions, Gutmann and Thompson illuminate the theory and practic.

Recent theoretical work in deliberative democracy is analyzed, identifying three distinct ways in which such theories attempt to justify their claims for an increase in deliberation: republican, postmodern, & universalist. Each has its strengths & implications for practice. If the new deliberative theories are to move beyond a critique of liberal democracy to articulate a legitimate & practical politics, the respective benefits of each type must be brought together. 38 References. Adapted from the source document.

The growing literature on deliberative democratic practice finds that deliberation is a difficult & relatively rare form of communication. Each moment of a deliberative encounter raises significant obstacles in the path to stimulating greater intentional reflection on public issues. I explore these obstacles in the context of other empirical work in political & social psychology, small group communication, & public opinion. Taken together, these literatures explain why deliberation is difficult to achieve & sustain over time. They also suggest several rules that might assist practitioners in making deliberative democracy work better. Many of the obstacles to deliberative democracy raise questions about key theoretical constructs closely associated with deliberative democratic theory, including equality, legitimacy, autonomy, & reason. I conclude by suggesting that deliberative practitioners, empirical scholars, & theorists might gain from greater interaction. 190 References. Adapted from the source document.

This paper inspects recent theoretical work in deliberative democracy. It identifies three distinct ways in which such theories attempt to justify their claims for an increase in deliberation. Each has its strengths; each has its implications for practice. If the new deliberative theories are to move beyond a critique of liberal democracy in order to articulate a legitimate and practical politics, the respective gains of these three types must be brought together.