Democratization as Deliberative Capacity Building

TLDR

Effective deliberation is central to democracy and should be included in any definition of democratization, yet comparative studies of democratization often omit this deliberative aspect. The study proposes a framework to locate and analyze the contributions of components within a polity’s deliberative system. The framework evaluates the system’s authenticity, inclusiveness, and consequentiality. Emphasizing deliberation uncovers key determinants of democratic transition and consolidation, offering substantial explanatory, evaluative, and normative insights.

Abstract

Effective deliberation is central to democracy and so should enter any definition of democratization. However, the deliberative aspect now ubiquitous in the theory, practice, and promotion of democracy is generally missing in comparative studies of democratization. Deliberation capacity can be distributed in variable ways in the deliberative systems of states and other polities. A framework is described for locating and analyzing the contributions of its components and so evaluating the degree to which a polity’s deliberative system is authentic, inclusive, and consequential. An emphasis on deliberation reveals important determinants of democratic transition and consolidation, thereby providing substantial explanatory as well as evaluative and normative purchase.