Rethinking Democratic Deliberation: The Limits and Potential of Citizen Participation

Abstract

At a time when the western democracies are plagued by increasing political alienation and social fragmentation, political theorists and practioners have embraced a more deliberative approach to democratic governance. The sense of this approach and the political practice it encourages depend on a number of key assumptions regarding the capacities and inclinations of individuals and how they will engage one another in a deliberative setting. Drawing on theory and research in social and developmental psychology, I argue that these assumptions are incorrect. The aim here is not to reject the deliberative view, but to reconstruct it. A more adequate view of cognition, emotion and communication, one that emphasizes the social dimension of individual capacities and orientations, is presented. This leads to a reconsideration of the democratic values of autonomy and equality, and how best to institutionalize deliberative practices.