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When the People Speak

Deliberative Democracy and Public Consultation

James S Fishkin author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:18th Aug '11

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

When the People Speak cover

All over the world democratic reforms have brought power to the people - but under conditions where the people have little opportunity to think about the power that they exercise. Do we want a democracy inspired by Madison or by Madison Avenue? A democracy animated by deliberation or by manipulation? This book examines each of the principal democratic theories and makes the case for a democracy in which the people offer informed judgments about politics or policy. It then goes on to show how this form of democracy can be made a reality. When the People Speak describes deliberative democracy projects conducted by the author with various collaborators in the US, China, Britain, Denmark, Australia, Italy, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, and in the entire European Union. These projects have resulted in the massive expansion of wind power in Texas, the building of sewage treatment plants in China, the crafting of budget solutions in a region in Italy, and greater mutual understanding between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Critics of deliberative democracy say that it will privilege the more educated or that the public is incompetent when it comes to understanding policy issues, and should not be consulted. Others argue that it will increase polarization. Fishkin offers rebuttals for each of these arguments. Combining theory and practice he shows how a more deliberative politics is both practical and compelling.

Review from previous edition After many years of perfecting the art of deliberative polling from his place as director of the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University, Fishkin offers fresh evidence of the promise the model holds for democracy. The goal is to find out what people would really think if they could share concerns and hear from experts - opinions change, and people learn about one another Organization, technology, and incentives make it possible to become more thoughtful democratic citizens. Wonderful research; strongly recommended. * Choice *
intriguing...a portrait of public opinion that is more thoughtful than top-of-the-head responses to pollster questions. * Politics Daily *
He makes a persuasive case for his experiments in When the People Speak. The descriptions of the differing debates and outcomes of a long list of assemblies is continuously interesting and often fascinating. * Open Democracy *
James Fishkin is an impressive individual ... Fishkin has done what (to my knowledge) no other democratic theorist has attempted, namely, to design his own democratic institution--the deliberative poll (DP)... * Perspectives on Politics *

ISBN: 9780199604432

Dimensions: 233mm x 159mm x 19mm

Weight: 386g

254 pages