Deliberative democracy meets democratised science: a deliberative systems approach to global environmental governance

Monika Berg,Rolf Lidskog

doi:10.1080/09644016.2017.1371919

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe main achievements of the debates on deliberative democracy and democratised science are investigated in order to analyse the reasons, meanings and prospects for a democratisation of global environmental policy. A deliberative systems approach, which emphasises the need to explore how processes in societal spheres interact to shape the deliberative qualities of the system as a whole, is adopted. Although science plays a key role in this, its potential to enhance deliberative capacity has hardly been addressed in deliberative theories. The democratisation of science has potential to contribute to the democratisation of global environmental policy, in that it also shapes the potential of deliberative arrangements in the policy sphere. Deliberative arrangements within the policy sphere may stimulate the democratisation of science to different degrees.

Highlights

There are several challenges which together suggest that a democratic and capable global environmental governance requires new ways of organising policymaking
We find that the democratisation of science has a neglected potential to contribute to the democratisation of global environmental policy, in that it can affect the establishment and functioning of deliberative arrangements in the policy sphere
We have argued that science should be considered as a distinct sphere, with intrinsic logics and deliberative qualities, despite it being fundamentally interrelated with the policy sphere as well as with the public sphere

Summary

Introduction

There are several challenges which together suggest that a democratic and capable global environmental governance requires new ways of organising policymaking. The implications of a democratised science are illustrated in relation to three institutional arrangements proposed by deliberative theorists which have come relatively far in concretely addressing the challenges of global environmental governance.

Results

Conclusion