Suchergebnisse

This thesis examines the feasibility of lay citizen participation in the process of constitutional reform in Australia. While there have been increasing calls in recent decades for members of the general public to be more deeply involved in debates about constitutional change, there has been little scholarly inquiry into whether this is achievable. This thesis fills this gap by providing a detailed assessment of how individuals get involved in constitutional debate, and whether it is feasible for public involvement to become a more central component of Australia's c'onstitutional reform process. The thesis' theoretical framework is provided by participatory and deliberative democratic theories. Together, these theories provide a rich conception of citizen involvement that emphasises the ideals of broad participation, sound judgment and inclusiveness. The thesis' empirical analysis is structured around discussion of five challenges to participation that emerge from this theoretical literature: citizen willingness, equal participation, citizen competence in developing sound judgment, citizen competence in engaging in quality deliberation, and legitimacy. The thesis approaches these issues through a detailed examination of lay citizen participation in Australian constitutional debates during the period 1991–1999. It adopts a mixed methods approach, combining analysis of three main data sources: the 1999 Australian Constitutional Referendum Study, primary documentary material on the debates of the 1990s, and focus group interviews on perceptions and attitudes towards constitutional reform. The thesis' central argument is that greater lay citizen participation in the process of constitutional reform is achievable provided that, in the design of that process, careful attention is paid to a complex set of factors that foster and inhibit it. These factors are identified and discussed throughout the thesis and include the provision of participatory activities that are responsive to diverse personal motivations, the ...