We show, against skeptics, that however latent it may be in everyday life, the ability to reason ... more We show, against skeptics, that however latent it may be in everyday life, the ability to reason effectively about politics can readily be activated when conditions are right. We justify a definition of deliberative reason, then develop and apply a Deliberative Reason Index (DRI) to analysis of 19 deliberative forums. DRI increases over the course of deliberation in the vast majority of cases, but the extent of this increase depends upon enabling conditions. Group building that activates deliberative norms makes the biggest difference, particularly in enabling participants to cope with complexity. Without group building, complexity becomes more difficult to surmount, and planned direct impact on policy decisions may actually impede reasoning where complexity is high. Our findings have implications beyond forum design for the staging of political discourse in the wider public sphere.
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2019
The social sciences have engaged since the late 1980s in international collaborative programmes t... more The social sciences have engaged since the late 1980s in international collaborative programmes to study questions of sustainability and global change. This article offers an in-depth analysis of the largest long-standing social-science network in this field: the Earth System Governance Project. Originating as a core project of the former International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, the Earth System Governance Project has matured into a global, selfsustaining research network, with annual conferences, numerous taskforces, research centers, regional research fellow meetings, three book series, an open access flagship journal, and a lively presence in social media. The article critically reviews the experiences of the Earth System Governance network and its integration and interactions with other programmes over the last decade.
We agree with Castree that higher-quality deliberation among representatives is indeed a key elem... more We agree with Castree that higher-quality deliberation among representatives is indeed a key element for renewing our democracies. More and better deliberation in representative institutions might produce more publicly acceptable and sustainable policies. A deliberative citizenry can help achieve this goal. Empirical research of political systems in the United States and Europe ([ 1 ][1], [ 2 ][2]) shows that under appropriate conditions—namely, coalition settings, second chambers to check power, secrecy, low party discipline, low issue polarization, and the strong presence of moderate parties—genuine deliberation can be found in legislatures. This research also demonstrates that good deliberation is not easy to achieve in representative institutions that lack favorable conditions. Under normal political conditions in adversarial systems such as the United States and United Kingdom—namely, strong partisan competition and high issue polarization—high-quality deliberation is rare. Therefore, we need to think about reforms that would facilitate higher-quality deliberation in representative institutions. Given that institutional reforms in adversarial systems (for instance, in the direction of more consensual procedures) are rare, elite deliberation could greatly benefit from being exposed to more citizen deliberation. For this reason, we emphasized the idea that citizens could lead the way. As we explained in the context of the Irish example, citizen deliberation helped make interactions in the Dail (Irish parliament) more deliberative, especially on the highly divisive issue of abortion. Moreover, research has shown that direct deliberative exchanges between representatives and their constituents in the United States helped citizens rebuild political trust and helped representatives truly engage with citizens' policy views ([ 3 ][3]). Renewal of our democracies requires better deliberation among citizens, among politicians, and between them. 1. [↵][4]1. J. Bessette , The Mild Voice of Reason: Deliberative Democracy and American National Government (University of Chicago Press, 1994). 2. [↵][5]1. J. Steiner, 2. A. Bachtiger, 3. M. Sporndli, 4. M. Steenbergen , Deliberative Politics in Action: Analysing Parliamentary Discourse (Cambridge University Press, 2004). 3. [↵][6]1. M. A. Neblo, 2. K. M. Esterling, 3. D. M. J. Lazer , Politics with the People: Building a Directly Representative Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2018). [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [5]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [6]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3 in text"
The Earth System Governance project is a global research alliance that explores novel, effective ... more The Earth System Governance project is a global research alliance that explores novel, effective governance mechanisms to cope with the current transitions in the biogeochemical systems of the planet. A decade after its inception, this article offers an overview of the project's new research framework
Against those who advocate simplistic authoritarian solutions to the climate challenge 1 , we arg... more Against those who advocate simplistic authoritarian solutions to the climate challenge 1 , we argue for democracy's revitalization through harnessing the latent wisdom of citizens and joining that wisdom more effectively to relevant expertise and political authority. Skeptics argue that weaknesses in mass political cognition warrant elite governance. In contrast, we argue that it is the way the political process is constructed that affects how citizens engage and behave on issues such as climate change, and that if constructed properly citizens reveal competence that enables them to play key roles in governance. Effective response can be enhanced by deliberative democratic principles and practices. This includes institutions that promote genuine deliberation among citizens and leaders rather than posturing and strategic language, together with mechanisms to link deliberation with decision making. A concerted effort along these lines to reimagine governance at different scales can better equip us to meet the challenges of climate change.
ABSTRACT Most studies of relationships encompassing Muslim minorities and Western societies exami... more ABSTRACT Most studies of relationships encompassing Muslim minorities and Western societies examine Muslim and non-Muslim orientations separately. Here we investigate the patterns of similarity and difference involving Muslims and non-Muslims in Australia in terms of how they conceptualise the situation of Muslims in a secular society. We deploy Q methodology to study selected Muslims and non-Muslims in the same terms. Our results reveal three substantial positions. The first, ‘Assertive Islamic Belonging’, is mostly (but not exclusively) found among our Muslim subjects. The second, ‘Exasperated Monoculturalism’, is mostly (again not exclusively) associated with non-Muslims. The third, ‘Reciprocal Engagement’, has considerable presence in both sorts of communities. These results shed new light on the content of polarisation stressed in previous studies. They can also be deployed in the interests of productive dialogue across undeniable difference. The ‘Reciprocal Engagement’ position can act as a kind of discursive bridge, and the content of the two more polarised positions shows neither is beyond the reach of dialogue. We explore implications for dialogue across difference in a democracy and show how our findings can inform a deliberative democratic approach to multiculturalism.
The project of deliberative democracy is increasingly pursued through designed mini-publics. But ... more The project of deliberative democracy is increasingly pursued through designed mini-publics. But exactly how they are designed proves crucial in determining whether or not mini-publics can deliver on their promise. This article explores the role of appreciative inquirya version of deliberative design that is gaining ground. In this approach, participants are primed to develop an 'appreciative gaze' by focusing the discussion on what already works well in the system and imagining possibilities for building on these strengths. It is distinguished from contestatatory approaches in that argumentative, blame-seeking and deficit-oriented forms of discourse are considered counter-productive to the process. We argue against a one-sided emphasis on appreciative inquiry, which must be balanced with more contestatory forms. Focusing on appreciative approaches to deliberation at the expense of contestation obstructs the ability of a group to deliberate properly and secure crucial deliberative outcomes. Our analysis is grounded in the case of the first Australia's Citizens' Parliament.
L'A. se demande si le type de participation sociale que permet Internet renforce le processus... more L'A. se demande si le type de participation sociale que permet Internet renforce le processus democratique ou s'il ne fait que conforter les choix exprimes par des individus isoles les uns des autres. En matiere d'environnement, que gagnent les mouvements ecologistes a la technologie Internet ? En dehors de la seule communication, n'y a-t-il pas risque d'une perte de deliberation democratique ? A l'appui de leur demonstration, les AA. evoquent le role joue par les jurys de citoyens au Royaume-Uni
Democracy can entail the representation of discourses as well as persons or groups. We explain an... more Democracy can entail the representation of discourses as well as persons or groups. We explain and advocate discursive representation; explore its justifications, advantages, and problems; and show how it can be accomplished in practice. This practice can involve the selection of discursive representatives to a formal Chamber of Discourses and more informal processes grounded in the broader public sphere. Discursive representation supports many aspects of deliberative democracy and is especially applicable to settings such as the international system lacking a well-defined demos.
While consensus is often taken to be the ideal way to secure political legitimacy, a more robust ... more While consensus is often taken to be the ideal way to secure political legitimacy, a more robust pluralism has many defenders too. We attempt to reconcile arguments for pluralism and consensus. Pluralism ought to be accepted and valued at the simple level of values, beliefs, and preferences. Pluralism at this level can nevertheless coexist with normative, epistemic, and/or preference meta-consensus, all of which have qualities that should attract even pluralists. However, close attention must be paid to the content of meta-consensus and the conditions of its production or discovery.
What does vaccine justice require at the domestic and global levels? In this essay, using the COV... more What does vaccine justice require at the domestic and global levels? In this essay, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, we argue that deliberative-democratic participation is needed to answer this question. To be effective on the ground, abstract principles of vaccine justice need to be further specified through policy. Any vaccination strategy needs to find ways to prioritize conflicting moral claims to vaccine allocation, clarify the grounds on which low-risk people are being asked to vaccinate, and reach a balance between special duties toward countrymen and universal duties toward foreigners. Reasonable moral disagreement on these questions is bound to exist in any community. But such disagreement threatens to undermine vaccine justice insofar as the chosen vaccination strategy (and its proposed specification of vaccine justice) lacks public justification. Inclusive democratic deliberation about vaccine justice is a good mechanism for tackling such moral disagreement. By ...
The Australian Citizens\u27 Parliament was held in February 2009, with one participant from each ... more The Australian Citizens\u27 Parliament was held in February 2009, with one participant from each federal electorate. The main meeting was a culmination of a process involving a series of regional meetings and online development of proposals by citizen participants. Within a broad charge of \u27How can Australia\u27s political system be strengthened to serve us better?\u27 participants could develop their own proposals and so craft the agenda. The process yielded a set of recommendations for the structure and operation of government, as well as masses of social scientific data
Global climate change and governance will widely but unevenly impact people's lives around th... more Global climate change and governance will widely but unevenly impact people's lives around the world. There is thus an urgent need to ensure that the people who will be affected by climate change itself, as well as by mitigation and adaptation measures, are appropriately represented in decision making processes. In short, there is an urgent need to democratise global climate governance. But the absence of traditional liberal democratic mechanisms in the international system poses an obvious challenge to democratising global governance. A plausible alternative to the cosmopolitan ambition of importing the domestic democratic architecture to the international system is to enhance the deliberative capacity of existing governance arrangements. Deliberative governance arrangements offer perhaps the most promising opportunity for responding to the social challenges of global climate change and governance. The effective functioning of these arrangements depends crucially on vibrant pub...
We show, against skeptics, that however latent it may be in everyday life, the ability to reason ... more We show, against skeptics, that however latent it may be in everyday life, the ability to reason effectively about politics can readily be activated when conditions are right. We justify a definition of deliberative reason, then develop and apply a Deliberative Reason Index (DRI) to analysis of 19 deliberative forums. DRI increases over the course of deliberation in the vast majority of cases, but the extent of this increase depends upon enabling conditions. Group building that activates deliberative norms makes the biggest difference, particularly in enabling participants to cope with complexity. Without group building, complexity becomes more difficult to surmount, and planned direct impact on policy decisions may actually impede reasoning where complexity is high. Our findings have implications beyond forum design for the staging of political discourse in the wider public sphere.
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2019
The social sciences have engaged since the late 1980s in international collaborative programmes t... more The social sciences have engaged since the late 1980s in international collaborative programmes to study questions of sustainability and global change. This article offers an in-depth analysis of the largest long-standing social-science network in this field: the Earth System Governance Project. Originating as a core project of the former International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, the Earth System Governance Project has matured into a global, selfsustaining research network, with annual conferences, numerous taskforces, research centers, regional research fellow meetings, three book series, an open access flagship journal, and a lively presence in social media. The article critically reviews the experiences of the Earth System Governance network and its integration and interactions with other programmes over the last decade.
We agree with Castree that higher-quality deliberation among representatives is indeed a key elem... more We agree with Castree that higher-quality deliberation among representatives is indeed a key element for renewing our democracies. More and better deliberation in representative institutions might produce more publicly acceptable and sustainable policies. A deliberative citizenry can help achieve this goal. Empirical research of political systems in the United States and Europe ([ 1 ][1], [ 2 ][2]) shows that under appropriate conditions—namely, coalition settings, second chambers to check power, secrecy, low party discipline, low issue polarization, and the strong presence of moderate parties—genuine deliberation can be found in legislatures. This research also demonstrates that good deliberation is not easy to achieve in representative institutions that lack favorable conditions. Under normal political conditions in adversarial systems such as the United States and United Kingdom—namely, strong partisan competition and high issue polarization—high-quality deliberation is rare. Therefore, we need to think about reforms that would facilitate higher-quality deliberation in representative institutions. Given that institutional reforms in adversarial systems (for instance, in the direction of more consensual procedures) are rare, elite deliberation could greatly benefit from being exposed to more citizen deliberation. For this reason, we emphasized the idea that citizens could lead the way. As we explained in the context of the Irish example, citizen deliberation helped make interactions in the Dail (Irish parliament) more deliberative, especially on the highly divisive issue of abortion. Moreover, research has shown that direct deliberative exchanges between representatives and their constituents in the United States helped citizens rebuild political trust and helped representatives truly engage with citizens' policy views ([ 3 ][3]). Renewal of our democracies requires better deliberation among citizens, among politicians, and between them. 1. [↵][4]1. J. Bessette , The Mild Voice of Reason: Deliberative Democracy and American National Government (University of Chicago Press, 1994). 2. [↵][5]1. J. Steiner, 2. A. Bachtiger, 3. M. Sporndli, 4. M. Steenbergen , Deliberative Politics in Action: Analysing Parliamentary Discourse (Cambridge University Press, 2004). 3. [↵][6]1. M. A. Neblo, 2. K. M. Esterling, 3. D. M. J. Lazer , Politics with the People: Building a Directly Representative Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2018). [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [5]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [6]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3 in text"
The Earth System Governance project is a global research alliance that explores novel, effective ... more The Earth System Governance project is a global research alliance that explores novel, effective governance mechanisms to cope with the current transitions in the biogeochemical systems of the planet. A decade after its inception, this article offers an overview of the project's new research framework
Against those who advocate simplistic authoritarian solutions to the climate challenge 1 , we arg... more Against those who advocate simplistic authoritarian solutions to the climate challenge 1 , we argue for democracy's revitalization through harnessing the latent wisdom of citizens and joining that wisdom more effectively to relevant expertise and political authority. Skeptics argue that weaknesses in mass political cognition warrant elite governance. In contrast, we argue that it is the way the political process is constructed that affects how citizens engage and behave on issues such as climate change, and that if constructed properly citizens reveal competence that enables them to play key roles in governance. Effective response can be enhanced by deliberative democratic principles and practices. This includes institutions that promote genuine deliberation among citizens and leaders rather than posturing and strategic language, together with mechanisms to link deliberation with decision making. A concerted effort along these lines to reimagine governance at different scales can better equip us to meet the challenges of climate change.
ABSTRACT Most studies of relationships encompassing Muslim minorities and Western societies exami... more ABSTRACT Most studies of relationships encompassing Muslim minorities and Western societies examine Muslim and non-Muslim orientations separately. Here we investigate the patterns of similarity and difference involving Muslims and non-Muslims in Australia in terms of how they conceptualise the situation of Muslims in a secular society. We deploy Q methodology to study selected Muslims and non-Muslims in the same terms. Our results reveal three substantial positions. The first, ‘Assertive Islamic Belonging’, is mostly (but not exclusively) found among our Muslim subjects. The second, ‘Exasperated Monoculturalism’, is mostly (again not exclusively) associated with non-Muslims. The third, ‘Reciprocal Engagement’, has considerable presence in both sorts of communities. These results shed new light on the content of polarisation stressed in previous studies. They can also be deployed in the interests of productive dialogue across undeniable difference. The ‘Reciprocal Engagement’ position can act as a kind of discursive bridge, and the content of the two more polarised positions shows neither is beyond the reach of dialogue. We explore implications for dialogue across difference in a democracy and show how our findings can inform a deliberative democratic approach to multiculturalism.
The project of deliberative democracy is increasingly pursued through designed mini-publics. But ... more The project of deliberative democracy is increasingly pursued through designed mini-publics. But exactly how they are designed proves crucial in determining whether or not mini-publics can deliver on their promise. This article explores the role of appreciative inquirya version of deliberative design that is gaining ground. In this approach, participants are primed to develop an 'appreciative gaze' by focusing the discussion on what already works well in the system and imagining possibilities for building on these strengths. It is distinguished from contestatatory approaches in that argumentative, blame-seeking and deficit-oriented forms of discourse are considered counter-productive to the process. We argue against a one-sided emphasis on appreciative inquiry, which must be balanced with more contestatory forms. Focusing on appreciative approaches to deliberation at the expense of contestation obstructs the ability of a group to deliberate properly and secure crucial deliberative outcomes. Our analysis is grounded in the case of the first Australia's Citizens' Parliament.
L'A. se demande si le type de participation sociale que permet Internet renforce le processus... more L'A. se demande si le type de participation sociale que permet Internet renforce le processus democratique ou s'il ne fait que conforter les choix exprimes par des individus isoles les uns des autres. En matiere d'environnement, que gagnent les mouvements ecologistes a la technologie Internet ? En dehors de la seule communication, n'y a-t-il pas risque d'une perte de deliberation democratique ? A l'appui de leur demonstration, les AA. evoquent le role joue par les jurys de citoyens au Royaume-Uni
Democracy can entail the representation of discourses as well as persons or groups. We explain an... more Democracy can entail the representation of discourses as well as persons or groups. We explain and advocate discursive representation; explore its justifications, advantages, and problems; and show how it can be accomplished in practice. This practice can involve the selection of discursive representatives to a formal Chamber of Discourses and more informal processes grounded in the broader public sphere. Discursive representation supports many aspects of deliberative democracy and is especially applicable to settings such as the international system lacking a well-defined demos.
While consensus is often taken to be the ideal way to secure political legitimacy, a more robust ... more While consensus is often taken to be the ideal way to secure political legitimacy, a more robust pluralism has many defenders too. We attempt to reconcile arguments for pluralism and consensus. Pluralism ought to be accepted and valued at the simple level of values, beliefs, and preferences. Pluralism at this level can nevertheless coexist with normative, epistemic, and/or preference meta-consensus, all of which have qualities that should attract even pluralists. However, close attention must be paid to the content of meta-consensus and the conditions of its production or discovery.
What does vaccine justice require at the domestic and global levels? In this essay, using the COV... more What does vaccine justice require at the domestic and global levels? In this essay, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, we argue that deliberative-democratic participation is needed to answer this question. To be effective on the ground, abstract principles of vaccine justice need to be further specified through policy. Any vaccination strategy needs to find ways to prioritize conflicting moral claims to vaccine allocation, clarify the grounds on which low-risk people are being asked to vaccinate, and reach a balance between special duties toward countrymen and universal duties toward foreigners. Reasonable moral disagreement on these questions is bound to exist in any community. But such disagreement threatens to undermine vaccine justice insofar as the chosen vaccination strategy (and its proposed specification of vaccine justice) lacks public justification. Inclusive democratic deliberation about vaccine justice is a good mechanism for tackling such moral disagreement. By ...
The Australian Citizens\u27 Parliament was held in February 2009, with one participant from each ... more The Australian Citizens\u27 Parliament was held in February 2009, with one participant from each federal electorate. The main meeting was a culmination of a process involving a series of regional meetings and online development of proposals by citizen participants. Within a broad charge of \u27How can Australia\u27s political system be strengthened to serve us better?\u27 participants could develop their own proposals and so craft the agenda. The process yielded a set of recommendations for the structure and operation of government, as well as masses of social scientific data
Global climate change and governance will widely but unevenly impact people's lives around th... more Global climate change and governance will widely but unevenly impact people's lives around the world. There is thus an urgent need to ensure that the people who will be affected by climate change itself, as well as by mitigation and adaptation measures, are appropriately represented in decision making processes. In short, there is an urgent need to democratise global climate governance. But the absence of traditional liberal democratic mechanisms in the international system poses an obvious challenge to democratising global governance. A plausible alternative to the cosmopolitan ambition of importing the domestic democratic architecture to the international system is to enhance the deliberative capacity of existing governance arrangements. Deliberative governance arrangements offer perhaps the most promising opportunity for responding to the social challenges of global climate change and governance. The effective functioning of these arrangements depends crucially on vibrant pub...
Uploads
Papers by John Dryzek