The Promise(s) of Deliberative Democracy

Abstract

This essay explicates the promise that deliberative democracy, because deliberation generates more inclusive, just, and reasoned public policies, is a sufficient and superior account of democratic legitimacy. This essay also reviews the critiques engendered by social, cultural, and discursive plurality, critiques threatening to render deliberative democracy's promise(s) infelicitous, and suggests some avenues for reconfiguring public delieration in light of these challenges.