Have you ever wondered why politicians reach for democratic innovations? How do they evaluate deliberative practices involving ordinary citizens and what political value do they ascribe to them? Do they want to put citizens' perspectives at the centre of decision-making processes in the face of a growing crisis of representative democracy, or are their motivations more nuanced and instrumental? This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the future of democracy, using unique data from in-depth interviews with local politicians to explore decision-makers' attitudes towards deliberative innovation and propose some truly effective ways to design it in relation to traditional representative institutions.
Joanna Podgórska-Rykała, Ph.D. (2016), is an associate professor at the University of the National Education Commission in Krakow. She has published monographs and many articles on deliberative democracy, democratic innovation, local government, and public policy, including
Deliberative Democracy, Public Policy, and Local Government (Routledge, 2024).
Introduction
1Asymmetric Power Balance under Democratic Conditions 1 Democracy in Crisis
2 Democracy as an End or a Means to an End?
3 Components of Democracy [Definitione]
3.1
Democratic Rift between Theory and Practice
3.2
The Edges of Democracy: demos
3.3
Democracy as Power
3.4
Democracy as a Complex of Institutions Created in the Historical Process
3.5
Procedure: Minimalist Conceptions of Democracy
3.6
Democracy as Conflict Resolution without Bloodshed
3.7
Axiological Dimension of Democracy
3.8
Temporal Delimitation of Democracy and Rational Instability
3.9
Responsiveness as a Characteristic of Democracy
3.10
Potential for the Spread of Democratic Practices and Institutions
4 Bottom Line: How to Democratically Promote Mutability in Power Relations?
2Deliberative Democracy as Promoting Mutability in Power Relations 1 Deliberative Democracy as a More Democratic Democracy?
2 Political Involvement: Mass Participation vs. Structured Deliberation
3 Deliberative Ideals from the Perspective of Decision-Makers – A Case Study
3.1
When and Why Do Decision-Makers Reach for Small Deliberative Forums? Evidence from Poland
3.2
What Place and Role Was Assigned to
ca
in the Decision-Making Process? Evidence from Poland
3.3
‘Pure Profit’: The
ca
Proposals as an Important Contribution to Public Policy Making. Evidence from Poland
3.4
Conclusions: Empirical Findings in the Context of Existing Evidence
4 Bottom Line: Participation in Decision-Making Processes without Power-Sharing
3‘The Rebuilding a Ship at Sea’ that Is Institutional Change 1 Institutions to Guard Democracy
2 The Role of Deliberative Mini-publics in the Democratic Institutional System
2.1
Integration of
dmp
s with Formal Institutions of Power. Evidence from Poland
2.2
dmp
s as an Ad Hoc or Cyclical Approach? Evidence from Poland
2.3
The Role of the
dmp
in the Decision-Making System. Evidence from Poland
2.4
Conclusions: Empirical Findings in the Context of Existing Evidence
3 Bottom Line: The Integration Potential of
dmp
s
Conclusion
Index
The book is a valuable resource for academics (political scientists, lawyers, sociologists), decision-makers at all levels, civil society activists, and anyone interested in understanding the complex nature of practical applications of deliberative innovation in politics.