Lars Klüver, is a skilled innovator, designer and convenor of public deliberations and has been for more than 30 years. His work with the Danish Board of Technology, was an early inspiration for many deliberative designers with his Consensus Conference method—a modification of an approach used in the US among scientists. Klüver understood...Continue reading
In this episode, Carson speaks with Professor John Gastil from Penn State University about the history and development of deliberative mini-publics. John is the author of many books and papers on deliberative democracy including Democracy in Small Groups and is currently undertaking research on the Oregon Citizens’ Initiative Review and has a book...Continue reading
Hans-Liudger Dienel spoke with Carson about the work of his father Peter Dienel who developed the planning cells model of deliberative engagement in the early 1970s and which Hans has continued to work with through the Nexus Institute in Germany. Hans identifies that his father was a missionary for planning cells. Planning cells began...Continue reading
Ned Crosby is the American inventor of Citizens’ Juries. He and his wife Pat Benn have supported and developed these processes over many years. In this interview, he and Pat talk about the development of the process, its refinement over the years and the more recent development of Citizens’ Initiative Review in Oregon. Ned...Continue reading
Welcome to the Facilitating Public Deliberations podcast. In this series, we will be talking with practitioners, advocates and academics about the history of public deliberations and the various approaches to facilitating them.
The political scientist Hélène Landemore asks, If government is for the people, why can’t the people do the governing? By Nathan Heller, in The New Yorker, February 19, 2020 Imagine being a citizen of a diverse, wealthy, democratic nation filled with eager leaders. At least once a year—in autumn, say—it is your right and civic...Continue reading
Lyn Carson, in The Mandarin 20th December 2019 If we know a great deal about something, we close our minds to alternative pathways, we share our knowledge with people who support our opinion (confirmation bias), and our creativity is constricted because we think we know what’s possible and dismiss anything that sounds unrealistic. Lyn Carson shoes how...Continue reading
Research report prepared concurrently for the Massachusetts CIR Pilot Project and the Democracy Fund John Gastil, Professor, Communication Arts & Sciences and Political Science Senior Scholar, McCourtney Institute for Democracy Pennsylvania State University; Katherine R. Knobloch, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Communication Studies Associate Director of the Center for Public Deliberation Colorado State University; A. Lee...Continue reading
Much has changed since democracy emerged 2,500 years ago. Women vote. We do not kill or exile politicians who mislead us. We choose representatives to make decisions on our behalf. Our civic responsibilities are hardly ever enforced. Occasionally, we make our way to a conveniently located polling station, cast our vote in private, and trust...Continue reading
For the 2020 Research Project click here. The November 2017 Symposium event convened by newDemocracy sought to challenge opinion leaders by asking them what practical testable improvements could be made to our democracy in order to improve public trust in how we take public decisions. It sought to move the discussion from one of complaint about...Continue reading