electiveHQ

Deliberative mini-publics (DMPs) are fast becoming an ever more prominent feature of contemporary democracies. Having first emerged in the latter part of the 20th century, they started to achieve prominence in the first decade of this century (starting with the British Columbia Citizens’ Assembly in 2005). Their use has mushroomed in the past few years, not least since the Irish use of DMPs over the past decade. A recent OECD report listed some 300 examples of the DMPs over the past two decades. The purpose of this module is to examine what they are, how they vary, their strengths and weaknesses, and what the might contribute to our democratic system. They are generally seen as a good example of how democracies can innovate: to what extent is this true? What evidence is there of DMPs starting to become consolidated in our political system? The content of the module will include the following key themes: defining DMPs and how they vary; where DMPs fit within deliberative democracy more generally; democratic innovations with a particular focus on citizen-centred reforms; the key characteristics of a DMP; government-led DMPs; the place of DMPs within representative democracy.