Introduction: Democratic Deliberation and Under-Represented Groups
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929920950931 |
| Author | Sergiu Gherghina,Sergiu Miscoiu,Monika Mokre |
| Date | 01 May 2021 |
| Published date | 01 May 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Symposium: Democratic Deliberation and Under-Represented Groups |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929920950931
Political Studies Review
2021, Vol. 19(2) 159 –163
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/1478929920950931
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Introduction: Democratic
Deliberation and Under-
Represented Groups
Sergiu Gherghina1, Monika Mokre2
and Sergiu Miscoiu3
Abstract
The key principles of democratic deliberation are the considered judgement and inclusion.
However, research shows that not all categories are involved in this process. In particular, the
groups that are under-represented in day-to-day politics are also less likely to make their voice
heard in deliberation. So far, we know little about if and how deliberation fosters the involvement
of under-represented groups. This symposium aims to address this gap in the literature and
seeks to generate new ideas on the topic. It brings two contributions to the debate about the
involvement of under-represented groups in deliberation: it identifies the means through which
various deliberative practices can involve members of under-represented groups and explains how
and why members of under-represented groups participate or refuse/are refused participation in
deliberation.
Keywords
under-representation, deliberative democracy, inclusion, exclusion
Accepted: 28 July 2020
Research Gap and Aims of the Symposium
Democratic deliberation lies at the core of democratic theory and proposes a shift from a
vote-centric to a talk-centric conception of decision-making (Chambers, 2003; Dryzek,
2000; Habermas, 1996). According to this view, the essence of democratic decision-mak-
ing is no longer the aggregation of fixed preferences but the exchanges of justification
that precede this decision. The 2000s have been marked by the multiplication of proce-
dures that seek to involve ordinary citizens in deliberation. These were organized by civil
society and public authorities and have taken various forms (Fung, 2006; Smith, 2009).
1Department of Politics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
2Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
3Department of European Studies, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Corresponding author:
Sergiu Gherghina, Department of Politics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RT, UK.
Email: sergiulor@yahoo.com
950931PSW0010.1177/1478929920950931Political Studies ReviewGherghina et al.
research-article2020
Symposia and New Ideas
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