Diana C. Mutz. Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative versus Participatory Democracy.

Abstract

One of the more popular arguments offered in recent years to both explain the stability of American government and to enhance representation focuses on deliberation. Yet, little empirical research is devoted to studying the amount of deliberation that occurs in practice or the consequences that it holds for citizens when they encounter it in everyday life. Recognizing this shortcoming, Diana Mutz offers an incisive look at how everyday discussions across lines of political difference affect opinion formation and political participation. The principal thesis of this book is that deliberative democracy is at odds with participatory democracy, at least from the perspective of individual citizens and their social surroundings. Distinguishing herself from other work in this area, Mutz focuses on what she calls cross-cutting political talk, defined as the level of disagreement people experience in their core interpersonal networks. While falling far short of what theorists call the “ideal deliberative setting” and being distinct from deliberative polls, this definition has the great virtue of reflecting naturally occurring situations with the potential to broadly influence political behavior. This puts Mutz in a position to theorize and test how deliberation in practice affects different elements of political behavior.