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< Back Deliberative Minipublics: Core Design Features Curato, N., Farrell D., Geißel, B., Grönlund, K., Mockler, P., Renwick, A., Rose, J., Setälä, M. and Suiter, J. 2021 , Bristol Policy Press Summary Bringing together ten leading researchers in the field of deliberative democracy, this important book examines the features of a Deliberative Mini-Public (DMP) and considers how DMPs link into democratic systems. It examines the core design features of DMPs and their role in the broader policy process and takes stock of the characteristics that distinguish them from other forms of citizen participation. In doing so, the book offers valuable insights into the contributions that DMPs can make not only to the policy process, but also to the broader agenda of revitalising democracy in contemporary times. Read more Previous Next

Research Intern < Back Nitya Reddy Research Intern About Nitya Reddy examined international best practices in countering violent extremism to inform recommendations for government agencies and civil society organizations involved in countering violent extremism in Australia. She joined the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance in 2022 as a research intern. Nitya is studying a Bachelor’s Degree in Politics and International Relations.

Former PhD student < Back Michael Rollens Former PhD student About Michael completed his dissertation entitled ‘Theory of Analytic Journalism’ in 2014 at the Australian National University. He was supervised by David West with the assistance of John Dryzek and Simon Niemeyer.

Latest News - Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance < Back Deliberative Democracy PhD Scholarship 20 Jan 2023 Location: Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra Scholarship Start: July 2023 Application deadline: 10 April 2023 Scholarship duration: Three and a half years Stipend rate: $1,153.85 per fortnight plus a relocation allowance to move to Canberra. Eligibility: To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must: have completed a Bachelor degree with First Class Honours, or be regarded by the University as having an equivalent level of attainment); be enrolled, or seeking to enrol, as a full-time candidate in a PhD at the University; and be an Australian or New Zealand citizen; or an Australian permanent resident; or an international student eligible to study in Australia on an international student visa. Application documents: PhD proposal (up to 3 pages) outlining proposed area of research and its connection to Centre’s work, CV (with academic results), Names and contact details of 2 academic referees, Writing sample (chapter or a paper/essay). Admission application procedure and deadlines: To apply, please send your complete application documents to hans.asenbaum@canberra.edu.au latest by 10 April 2023 (11.59pm AEST) . Successful applicant will be informed latest by 15 April 2023 by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance. Successful applicant must submit an Expression of Interest and a HDR Admission Application by 30 April 2023 (11.59pm AEST). Please see information on How to Apply . The Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance is a world-leading research institution aiming to transform democracies to become more inclusive, participatory, and sensitive to good reasons. The Deliberative Democracy PhD scholarship is designed for a student to research any topic related to the Centre’s work. Interested applicants should consult the Centre’s website for a sense of the kinds of research undertaken in the Centre, and whether their project might fit: https://www.canberra.edu.au/research/centres/cddgg Potential primary supervisors are Dr Hans Asenbaum , Prof John Dryzek and Prof Simon Niemeyer . The research topic of PhD projects will fall broadly within the field of deliberative democracy. Possible topics include, but are not limited to democratic transformation, environmental politics, global governance, political communication, identity, inclusion, digital politics, democracy in crisis, deliberative reasoning, deliberative systems, democratic innovations, gender, feminist research, social movements, and participatory research methods. Projects in democratic theory and/or using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods, as well as multidisciplinary projects are welcome. Inquires: Please direct any questions or requests for more information to hans.asenbaum@canberra.edu.au .

< Back Public support for citizens' assemblies selected through sortition: Survey and experimental evidence from 15 countries Jean-Benoit Pilet (Universite libre de Bruxelles) and Damien Bol (King's College London) Tue 16 March 2021 8:00pm-9:00pm Virtual seminar Abstract As representative democracies are increasingly criticized, a new institution is becoming popular in academic circles and real-life politics: asking a group of citizens selected by lot to deliberate and formulate policy recommendations on some contentious issues. Although there is much research on the functioning of such citizens’ assemblies, there are only few about how the population perceives them. We explore the sources of citizens’ attitudes towards this institution using a unique representative survey from 15 European countries. We find that those who are less educated, as well as those with a low sense of political competence and an anti-elite sentiment, are more supportive of it. Support thus comes from the ‘enraged’, rather than the ‘engaged’. Further, we use a survey experiment to show that support for citizens’ assemblies increases when respondents know that their fellow citizens share the same opinion than them on some issues. About the speakers Jean-Benoit Pilet is professor of political science at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium). He is coordinating the project POLITICIZE. Non-elected politics. Cure or Curse for Representative Democracy? (ERC Consolidator Grant). Within this project, he has worked on public support for deliberative and direct democracy, as well as on technocratic attitudes. He has recently published two articles (with Camille Bedock) on public support for sortition in France and in Belgium: Enraged, engaged, or both? A study of the determinants of support for consultative vs. binding mini-publics (Representation, 2020) and Who supports citizens selected by lot to be the main policymakers? A study of French citizens (Government & Opposition, 2020). Damien Bol is an Associate Professor and Director of the Quantitative Political Economy Research Group in King’s College London. His research lies at the intersection of comparative politics, political behavior, and political economy with a focus on elections. He tries to understand people's experience of representative democracy across countries and political systems. Previous Next

< Back Overcoming fundamental moral disagreement Richard Rowland, Australian Catholic University Tue 20 June 2017 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract Fundamental moral disagreements are moral disagreements that do not derive from disagreements about empirical or non-moral facts. For instance, some hold that torture is always in every instance morally wrong even if the consequences of torturing are better than the consequences of not torturing; others hold that sometimes, when the expected consequences of torturing are good enough (and the expected consequences of not-torturing are bad enough), it can be morally permissible to torture. This disagreement about the morality of torture is a fundamental moral disagreement. Firstly, I will briefly explain how if fundamental moral disagreement persisted in idealized conditions this would have both first-order ethical implications and implications for the nature of morality. Secondly, I will explain how all the research in the literature that purports to give us reasons to believe that there would or would not be fundamental moral disagreement in idealized conditions in fact gives us no reason to believe anything about fundamental moral disagreement in idealized conditions. Thirdly, I will sketch how a deliberative poll and Q-study that I will be conducting with Selen Ercan, David Killoren, and Lucy Parry may shed light on the extant of fundamental moral disagreement that would persist in idealized conditions and whether fundamental moral disagreements differ from other moral and political disagreements. About the speaker Richard Rowland is a permanent research fellow in moral philosophy at the Australian Catholic University. He works on ethics and metaethics, specifically on the nature of normativity and value, and on moral disagreement. He has published work in journals including Ethics, Noûs, Philosophical Studies, and Philosophical Quarterly. Previous Next

< Back Negotiating sisterhood in the Pacific region: Feminist alliances across diversity Jane Alver, University of Canberra Tue 1 December 2020 11:00am - 12:00pm Virtual seminar Seminar recording is available on our YouTube channel . Abstract This seminar presentation covers my recently completed PhD research conducted at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, in which I sought to understand how civil society actors in the Pacific can build diverse feminist alliances and a shared voice. I undertook an in-depth exploration of two recent initiatives aimed at forming Pacific feminist regional alliances; The Pacific Feminist Forum and the We Rise Coalition. Drawing on interviews, a focus group, and participant observation, I will present various insights of the research on a ‘negotiated sisterhood’ and explain how it is enacted in the Pacific. This concept helps to capture the dynamic and diverse nature of the feminism and feminist activities in the region and is relevant to scholars in social movement studies, alliance building and gender studies About the speaker Jane Alver is PhD Candidate at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy. Her research focuses on Pacific feminist civil society. Previous Next

< Back SCIENCE FACTIONALISM: HOW GROUP IDENTITY LANGUAGE AFFECTS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH CONTROVERSIAL SCIENCE ON A POPULAR Q&A DIGITAL PLATFORM IN CHINA ABSTRACT Misinformation and outgroup bias language are two pathologies challenging informed citizenship. This paper examines how identity language is used in misinformation and debunking messages about controversial science on a Chinese popular Q&A platform, and their impact on how the public engage with science. We collected an eight-year time series dataset of public discussion (N=40,101) on one of the most controversial science issues in China (GMO) from a popular digital Q&A platform, Zhihu. We found that both misinformation and debunking messages use a substantial amount of group identity languages about a controversial science issue, which we term as the phenomenon of science factionalism – discussion about science is divided by factions that are formed upon science attitudes. We found that posts that use science factionalism receive more digital votes and comments, even among the science-savvy community in China. Science factionalism has consequences on the quality of public discourse, increasing the use of negative language. We discussed the implications of how science factionalism interacts with the digital attention economy to affect public engagement with science misinformation. BIO Kaiping Chen is an Assistant Professor in Computational Communication at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Life Sciences Communication. She is also a faculty affiliate of the Robert & Jean Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies, and the African Studies Program. Chen’s research employs data science and machine learning methods as well as interviews to examine how digital media and technologies affect politicians' accountability to public well-being and how deliberative designs can improve the quality of public discourse on controversial and emerging technologies and mitigate the spread of misinformation and misperception. Chen received Ph.D. in Communication from Stanford University, MPA from Columbia University, and bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Fudan University. Chen’s work has been supported by the US National Science Foundation. Her work was published or accepted in flagship journals across disciplines, including American Political Science Review, Journal of Communication, New Media & Society, Public Opinion Quarterly, Public Understanding of Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and among other peer-reviewed journals. Previous Next

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< Back Deliberative land use planning Hoi Kong, McGill University Tue 6 May 2014 Fishbowl, Building 24, University of Canberra Abstract Scholars have long argued that land use planning processes do not promote meaningful citizen engagement. The project that I will discuss responds to this concern by creating an innovative design institution: the digitally-mediated community-based urban design studio. The interdisciplinary design studio deploys electronic technology to facilitate deliberative democratic participation in land use planning processes, in a borough of Montreal. A current large scale development project that has the potential to significantly affect the stock of affordable housing in the borough is the studio¹s current object of study. Students in law, urban planning and architecture, under the supervision of professors, will generate computer-modelled proposals. The studio will, on a dedicated website, invite comments about these proposals from the community and the resulting comments will be incorporated in subsequent draft proposals. The final proposal that will result from this iterative process will be brought to the attention of the relevant planning authorities for their comments. Towards the end of the project¹s three-year term, the team-members will consult with borough officials, city planners and local community organizations about whether and how procedures based on the studio¹s work might be incorporated into the official land use planning consultation process. This project is being developed in collaboration with the Cornell e-Regulations Initiative, which has developed online consultations with federal agencies, and in the presentation, I will discuss what mutual lessons have been learned from the two projects¹ experiments with developing technological tools of deliberative citizen engagement. About the speaker Hoi Kong teaches and researches in the areas of Constitutional Law, Comparative Law, Administrative Law, and Municipal Law. From 2002 to 2003, he was law clerk to Justices Marie Deschamps and Claire L¹Heureux-Dubé at the Supreme Court of Canada. From 2003 to 2006, he was an Associate-in-Law at Columbia University, and from 2006 to 2009, he was an Assistant Professor of Law, cross-appointed with the School of Urban and Regional Planning, at Queen¹s University. Hoi Kong joined the Faculty of Law of McGill University in August 2009 and he is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. He was named a Hydro-Québec Scholar in Sustainable Development Law in 2012. Previous Next

< Back Policy making and democratic responsiveness: The explanatory potential of values Linda Botterill, University of Canberra Tue 14 July 2020 11:00am - 12:00pm Building 24, University of Canberra / Virtual Seminar Seminar recording is available on our YouTube channel. Abstract This presentation will consider policy as the output of the democratic process, the endpoint of Powell’s “chain of democratic responsiveness”. Understanding fully how citizens’ preferences are reflected in policy outcomes requires the effective integration of politics into models of the policy process. One way to do this is to consider policy and politics through a values lens. I will argue that values constitute the common thread that connects all the stages of the chain of responsiveness, with each choice from citizens’ voting to policy decisions involving the prioritisation of one value or set of values over others. Drawing on the work of Shalom Schwartz, I will consider what is meant by the term ‘values’ and then discuss how they are evident in every stage of the democratic process. I will conclude with a few observations about what this approach means for policy studies. About the speaker Linda Botterill is Professor in Australian Politics and Head of the Canberra School of Politics, Economics & Society. She is a political scientist working in the areas of Australian politics, and public policy theory. The focus of her current work is the role of values in politics and policy, and she has also published extensively on Australian rural policy and politics. Prior to commencing her academic career, Professor Botterill worked as a policy practitioner – including over a decade in the APS, as an adviser to two Ministers for Primary Industries and Energy in the Keating government, and as senior policy adviser in two industry associations. She was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2015. Previous Next

Professor < Back Nicole Curato Professor About Nicole Curato is a Professor of Democratic Governance at the University of Birmingham's School of Government. Previously, she was a professor at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, where she founded the Deliberative Democracy Summer School, edited the Journal of Deliberative Democracy, and led the development of the MPP unit on Co-Design and Deliberative Engagement. She also founded the Global Citizens' Assembly Network. A recipient of five Australian Research Council grants (DECRA, Future Fellowship, Linkage Project, Discovery Project, Special Research Initiative), she has led groundbreaking research on deliberative democracy in fragile and conflict-affected settings and developed the theory and practice of deliberative integrity. She may be contacted at n.curato@bham.ac.uk .

The CDDGG 10th Anniversary Conversation Series In 2024 the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, at the University of Canberra, turns 10 years old. In celebration, we are organising a conversation series that is open to all, addressing 10 of the most pressing questions facing deliberative democracy today. Each month we will host a one-hour hybrid conversation featuring two short talks by world-leading scholars and practitioners, followed by a moderated discussion. Events will be filmed and posted on our YouTube channel for wider dissemination. Please keep checking our upcoming events page for the details and registration of each month’s conversation. Next event 10 Big Questions 20 February 2024 11:00 am HYBRID How can deliberative democracy listen to nonhumans? Prof Danielle Celermajer, University of Sydney, Australia Frederic Hanusch, Justus Liebig University, Germany Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Hans Asenbaum 12 March 2024 11:15 am HYBRID Can deliberative democracy take root in settler colonial states? Dr Justin McCaul, Australian National University, Australia Dr Emily Beausoleil, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Adele Webb 9 April 2024 11:00 am ONLINE Are mini-publics enough to promote deliberative democracy? Prof Simone Chambers, University of California Irvine, United States Prof Hélène Landemore, Yale University, United States Watch Recording Moderated by Prof John Dryzek 14 May 2024 6:00 pm ONLINE Does deliberative democracy stand a chance in neoliberal times? Prof John Dryzek, University of Canberra, Australia Prof Oliver Escobar, University of Edinburgh Watch Recording Moderated by Prof Nicole Curato 18 June 2024 6:00 pm ONLINE Are everyday citizens competent deliberators? Prof Simon Niemeyer, University of Canberra Prof Daniel Kübler, University of Zurich Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Lucy J Parry 2 July 2024 11:00 am HYBRID How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism? Dr Jordan McSwiney, University of Canberra Prof John Gastil, Pennsylvania State University Watch Recording Moderated by Prof Selen Ercan 6 August 2024 10:00 am ONLINE How can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? Dr Hans Asenbaum, University of Canberra Dr Maria Esperanza Casullo, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Jordan McSwiney 24 September 2024 6:00 pm ONLINE How can we build a global deliberative democracy? Nicole Curato, University of Canberra William Smith, Chinese University of Hong Kong Watch Recording Moderated by Wendy Conway-Lamb 8 October 2024 6:00 pm ONLINE What can deliberative democracy learn from social movements? Nicole Doerr, University of Copenhagen Claire Mellier, Iswe Foundation Watch Recording Moderated by Madeleine Egan 19 November 2024 6:00 pm HYBRID How deliberative is Australian Democracy? Selen Ercan, University of Canberra, Adele Webb, University of Canberra Andrea Carson, La Trobe University Ariadne Vromen, Australian National University Watch Recording Moderated by Ariadne Vromen Recordings The CDDGG 10th Anniversary Conversation ... Play Video Play Video 01:12:37 How deliberative is Australian democracy? Australian politics is becoming increasingly toxic. The ability to hold constructive discussions or to respectfully disagree on key political debates seems out of reach. While many democracies are embracing a surge in public deliberation, Australian political institutions seem hesitant to adopt innovations that could broaden and deepen democratic conversations. How can we improve the quality of political discourse in Australia and create space for diverse and marginalised voices? You are invited to watch this timely discussion featuring Selen Ercan (University of Canberra), Adele Webb (University of Canberra), and Andrea Carson (La Trobe University). The panel will unpack the reasons behind the state of deliberation in Australia and explore new ways of living together based on justice and mutual respect. The discussion will be moderated by Ariadne Vromen (ANU). Speakers Ariadne Vromen holds the Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration at ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy. She is also Deputy Dean (Research) at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. Selen Ercan is a Professor and Director at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra. Adele Webb is a Research Fellow in Democracy and Citizen Engagement at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra. Andrea Carson is a Professor of Political Communication in the Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy at La Trobe University. Andrea is a political scientist and journalism scholar. This event is part of the University of Canberra's Research Festival 2024 and hosted by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance. Play Video Play Video 36:19 What can deliberative democracy learn from social movements? Around the world, social movements are prompting deliberative democracy's community of practice to reflect on their theories of change. What principles and taken-for-granted assumptions underpin the so-called 'deliberative wave' in OECD countries? Can deliberative mini-publics commissioned by public authorities spark systemic change, or do they reinforce existing power structures? How can social movements' communicative practices that involve narrative, visual, and artistic forms of expression transform deliberative thinking? What can deliberative democracy learn from social movements? You are invited to watch this conversation on this timely topic featuring Dr. Nicole Doerr (University of Copenhagen) and Claire Mellier (Iswe Foundation). This seminar was chaired by Madeleine Egan. This event is part 9 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb. Speakers Nicole Doerr is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Copenhagen. Her work is on deliberative democracy and visual practices, deliberation and critical practices of intersectional translation and migrants' and minorities' contributions to deliberative democratic practice and theory. Claire Mellier is the Knowledge and Practice Lead at Iswe Foundation. She co-initiated and organised the world's first Global Citizens' Assembly for COP26. Moderator Madeleine Egan is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Play Video Play Video 34:42 How can we build a global deliberative democracy? How can we build a global deliberative democracy? Attempting to build a global deliberative democracy before we’ve succeeded in building a national or even local deliberative democracy may seem premature, but the scale of the collective challenges facing humanity makes the question unavoidable. In this conversation, Nicole Curato and William Smith will chart plausible political strategies to build deliberative democracy within and beyond formal institutions of global governance. This event is part 8 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb. About the speakers Nicole Curato is Professor of Political Sociology at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. She is the founder of the Global Citizens' Assembly Network and is leading the research on the world's first global citizens' assembly on the climate and ecological crisis. William Smith is a political theorist with interest and expertise in contemporary democratic theory and contentious politics. He has written extensively about deliberative democracy, exploring its relevance to topics such as civil disobedience, police reform, and transnational and global politics. In relation to the latter, he is currently exploring the limits and potential of ‘mini-publics’ as a means of enhancing the deliberative democratic credentials of transnational and global governance. Moderator Wendy Conway-Lamb is a PhD student at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra. She explores how those most affected by climate impacts at local levels can be more meaningfully included in global adaptation governance, with an empirical focus on Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Seminar Convener: Adele Webb Online floor manager: Ferdinand Sanchez All Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel. Play Video Play Video 34:51 How can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? Can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? Can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? For Hans Asenbaum, the field of deliberative democracy may have come a long way in recognising female marginalisation, but it has so far neglected cisgender, heterosexual, masculinities. Only when deliberative democracy recognises such hegemonic identities can it challenge the heterosexist domination underpinning macho populism. María Esperanza Casullo has a different take. For her, deliberative democracy can challenge macho populism by upholding the value of the most basic of human activities: talking. Macho populism seeks to define the simple act of talking as unproductive, decadent, in sum, feminine. It has a clear preference for supposedly masculine performances of aggression. Therefore, the act of deliberation itself has the potential to become the grounds for resistance. This event is part 7 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb🌟 This seminar was chaired by Dr Jordan McSwiney. Speakers: Hans Asenbaum is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. María Esperanza Casullo is an Associate Professor at the National University of Rio Negro and a researcher at CONICET in Argentina. Jordan McSwiney is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Load More

Publications End of Year Report 2025 Centre for Deliberative Democracy 2025 , University of Canberra Read more End of Year Report 2024 Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance 2024 , University of Canberra Read more Building Democratic Resilience: Public Sphere Responses to Violent Extremism Selen A. Ercan, Jordan McSwiney, Peter Balint, and John S. Dryzek 2022 , State of NSW, Department of Premier and Cabinet Read more Research Methods in Deliberative Democracy Selen A. Ercan, Hans Asenbaum, Nicole Curato, Ricardo F. Mendonca 2022 , Oxford University Press Read more Democratizing Global Justice: Deliberating Global Goals Dryzek, J.S. and Tanasoca, A. 2021 , Cambridge University Press Read more Deliberative Minipublics: Core Design Features Curato, N., Farrell D., Geißel, B., Grönlund, K., Mockler, P., Renwick, A., Rose, J., Setälä, M. and Suiter, J. 2021 , Bristol Policy Press Read more Mending Democracy: Democratic Repair in Disconnected Times Carolyn M. Hendriks, Selen A. Ercan, and John Boswell 2020 , Oxford University Press Read more The Political Economy of Devolution in Britain from the Postwar Era to Brexit Nick Vlahos 2020 , Palgrave Read more Assessing the poor’s deliberative agency in media-saturated societies Nicole Curato 2020 , Theory and Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-020-09421-1 Read more Mapping and Measuring Deliberation: Towards a New Deliberative Quality André Bächtiger and John Parkinson 2019 , Oxford University Press Read more 1 2 3 1 ... 1 2 3 ... 3

< Back Ron Brent Adjunct Professor About Ron Brent is a retired public servant who previously worked as Deputy Commonwealth Ombudsman, Commonwealth Ombudsman, was the first Australian Aircraft Noise Ombudsman, and the initial Chair of the Australian Research Integrity Committee.

< Back Ferdinand Sanchez Research Assistant About Ferdinand Sanchez II is a research assistant at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. He recently completed his bachelor's degree in Sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2022.

Former PhD student < Back Pierrick Chalaye Former PhD student About Pierrick Chalaye's work focuses on global and comparative environmental politics, cross-cultural approaches to decision-making and participatory and deliberative democratic theories and practices. H is now a research associate with the Centre.

< Back DEMOCRACY BEFORE LIBERALISM IN THEORY AND PRACTICE Josiah Ober, Stanford University Tue 6 November 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract What did democracy mean before it was hybridized as "liberal democracy"? Is democracy without liberalism necessarily illiberal, an oppressive tyranny of the majority? Combining history with political theory, this talk aims to restore the basic meaning of democracy as collective and limited self-government by citizens. That, rather than majority tyranny, is what democracy meant in ancient Athens, long before the development of modern liberalism. Participatory self-government is the basis of political practice in “Demopolis,” a hypothetical modern state sketched as a thought experiment. Demopolis’ residents aim to establish a reasonably secure, moderately prosperous, and non-tyrannical community, where citizens govern as a collective, both directly and through representatives. They willingly assume the costs of self-government because doing so benefits them, both as a group and individually. Basic democracy, as exemplified in real Athens and imagined Demopolis, can provide a stable political foundation for a liberal society. It may also offer a possible way forward for religious societies seeking a realistic alternative to autocracy. About the speaker Josiah Ober, Mitsotakis Professor in the School of Humanities and Science at Stanford, works on historical institutionalism and political theory, focusing on the political thought and practice of the ancient Greek world and its contemporary relevance. He is the author of a number of books mostly published by Princeton University Press, including Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens (1989), Political Dissent in Democratic Athens (2008), Democracy and Knowledge (2008). He has also published about 75 articles and chapters, including recent articles in American Political Science Review, Philosophical Studies, Hesperia, Polis, and Transactions of the American Philological Association. Previous Next

Research Intern < Back Atosha Birongo Research Intern About Atosha Birongo is doing research on citizen participation in the world's first Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency. She is a third-year student majoring in Government and Policy at the Faculty of Business, Government and Law. She joined the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance as research intern in 2022.

< Back Learning to value nature? International organizations and the promotion of ecosystem services Hayley Stevenson, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella Tue 11 December 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract The idea of valuing nature has become a core element of contemporary sustainable development and green economy agendas. This has been enabled by the widespread acceptance of the ‘ecosystems services’ concept, which tries to capture the value of the environment for human wellbeing. As the ecosystem services concept is embedded in development planning and economic policy-making, it is important to understand the opportunities it creates for environmental conservation and social development, and its inherent tensions and limitations. This requires a degree of reflexivity in policy-making to ensure that policies are informed by the historical lessons of ecosystem services experiments, the diverse knowledge of contemporary stakeholders, and self-critical awareness of uncertainty and multiple ontological perspectives. An international research team led by Hayley Stevenson and James Meadowcroft is studying the emergence and political uptake of this concept at international and national levels. In this presentation Hayley will share some initial findings about how nature valuation has been integrated into the work of international environmental and development agencies, and the patterns of reflexivity we observe. These findings also cast doubt on the political future of the ecosystem services concept. About the speaker Hayley Stevenson is Associate Professor in International Relations at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (Argentina), and Reader in Politics at the University of Sheffield (UK). She is the author of Institutionalizing Unsustainability, Democratizing Global Climate Governance (with John S. Dryzek), and Global Environmental Politics: Problems, Policy, and Practice. She is currently leading an international project with James Meadowcroft, “Ecosystem Services: Valuing Nature for Sustainable Development and a Green Economy”. Previous Next