Improving political deliberation.

Abstract

In their Policy Forum “The crisis of democracy and the science of deliberation” (15 March, p. [1144][1]), J. S. Dryzek et al. make a compelling case for the value of deliberative democracy, in which well-informed people reason about matters of common political concern. However, in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, representative democracy is ailing not only because of weak and intermittent discussion among the citizenry but also due to a lack of high-quality deliberation among those who represent the citizens. Dryzek et al. point to institutional experiments that foster deliberation, such as Ireland's Citizens Assembly. We should also consider experiments to determine how our established political organizations, such as the British Parliament and the U.S. Congress, can better facilitate deliberation. If our elected politicians were able to deliberate more effectively, our democracies would be more representative, sharp political divisions would be ameliorated, the legitimacy of political decisions would be greater, and the reasons for political action would be more robust. To institute better deliberation among our politicians, we must learn from social science research why our political systems have drifted so far away from the ideals of modern democracy's founders. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/363/6432/1144