Search Results

< Back Eda Keremoglu-Waibler Associate About Eda Keremoglu-Waibler's PhD research looks at the role of inclusionary and deliberative institutions in nondemocratic regimes, examining their impact on policy, the provision of public goods and regime stability. She lectures on authoritarian regimes as well as (political) cultural studies and public opinion research in Stuttgart.

< Back Communicative justice: New forms of digital secure political deliberation using Deciso 1.0 Javier Romero, University of Salamanca Tue 24 October 2017 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract The growth of the Internet has been one of the most remarkable phenomena of the last century. In the early 1980s, Internet was known to only a handful of scientist and academics, but it is now being regularly used by almost 4000 million people. The Internet is more than merely a communications network. According to Manuel Castells, the Internet is an infrastructure helping to create a new social, political and economic order characterized by global connectivity and the decentralization of authority. Nonetheless, although the new technologies determines to some degree how we live and work, new forms of power and domination have appeared againts the "lifeworld" (in terms of Jürgen Habermas): Big Data, communications surveillance, Internet of Things (IoT), hacking democracy, dark web… Our human freedom in the digital political deliberation can be hacked by states, technology companies, and black hackers. On a practical level, Green States and Social Movements need secure technology for secure communications. DeCiSo 1.0 (Secret Chat for Deliberation in Civil Society using Wi-Fi Covert Channel-802.11 protocol) is an example to secure communications with cryptography and Free Software (GNU/Linux). The "communicative justice" is a requirement of deliberative democracy. We need more, not less democracy. About the speaker Degree in Philosophy. PhD student in “Deliberative Democracy and Environment” (Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno Foundation). Member of Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE). Ethical Hacker. He works deliberative democracy, digital democracy, political ecology, environment, and CyberEthics. He supports online rights (Free Software Foundation and Electronic Frontier Foundation). Twitter: @j4virom Previous Next

We live in a time of global challenges including the climate emergency, pandemics and populism. Deliberative democracy leads the way towards mending and transforming societies. It inspires us to listen to fellow citizens and to nature. Deliberative transformations build the path towards democratic and sustainable futures. The 6th Deliberative Democracy Summer School brings together postgraduate students and early career researchers with leading scholars in the field. The three-day event provides a unique opportunity to discuss emerging themes, empirical findings and methodological innovations in deliberative democracy research. It is designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas about the latest developments in the field, provide feedback on work-in-progress, and build a global network of deliberative democracy scholars. Programme ProgAnchor Report Video recap Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied

< Back Democracy: Friendship in the company of strangers? Quinlan Bowman, University of Canberra Tue 4 July 2017 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract In this presentation I discuss two potentially constructive functions that the concept and practice of friendship can play in (cross-cultural) dialogues about democracy. First, I describe how appeals to friendship might help to generate greater agreement among democrats regarding the attractiveness of specifically deliberative forms of decision-making. Second, I describe how appeals to friendship might help to move those who do not begin as democrats toward a recognition of the attractiveness of democratic decision-making – indeed, as above, toward a recognition of the attractiveness of specifically deliberative forms of such decision-making. In both cases, the appeal to friendship functions as a species of immanent critique. About the speaker Dr Quinlan Bowman joined the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2016, after completing my PhD in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Previous Next

< Back Call for Papers: Deliberative Democracy Summer School 2024 ​ ​ APPLY HERE! Please submit the completed form to our research assistant, Hans Asenbaum at hans.asenbaum@canberra.edu.au by 30 June 2023. For questions, please contact the summer school convenor, Hans Asenbaum at hans.asenbaum@canberra.edu.au .

< Back Mending Democracy: Democratic Repair in Disconnected Times Carolyn M. Hendriks, Selen A. Ercan, and John Boswell 2020 , Oxford University Press ​ Summary The fabric of democracy is threadbare in many contemporary societies. Connections that are vital to the functioning and integrity of our democratic systems are wearing thin. Citizens are increasingly disconnected — from their elected representatives, from one another in the public sphere, and from complex processes of public policy. In such disconnected times, how can we strengthen and renew our democracies? This book develops the idea of democratic mending as a way of advancing a more connective approach to democratic reform. It is informed by three rich empirical cases of connectivity in practice, as well as cutting-edge debates in deliberative democracy. The empirical cases uncover empowering and transformative modes of political engagement that are vital for democratic renewal. The diverse actors in this book are not withdrawing, resisting or seeking autonomy from conventional institutions of representative democracy but actively experimenting with ways to improve and engage with them. Through their everyday practices of democratic mending they undertake crucial systemic repair work and strengthen the integrity of our democratic fabric in ways that are yet to be fully acknowledged by scholars and practitioners of democratic reform. Read more Previous Next

< Back Exploring injustice and the common good in local-scale biosafety deliberations in Costa Rica Sergio Guillen, Australian National University Tue 5 August 2014 11:00am - 12:00pm Fishbowl, Building 24, University of Canberra Abstract I present the rationale and methodology for a study of two elements involved in local-level public deliberation about genetically modified crops in Costa Rica. The first of these elements concerns injustice frames, an aspect of issue framing that entails a sense of outrage towards particular institutions or individuals on whom significant blame is laid for the grievances that spark collective action (Gamson, 1992; Johnston & Noakes, 2005). The second element relates to common-good orientation, which constitutes a central normative ideal of deliberative democracy, through which participants search for “a point of commonality to serve as the foundation for legitimate norms” (Chambers, 1996, p. 103). Both of these aspects continue to fuel important debates in the theoretical and empirical study of deliberative democracy. With regard to injustice frames, these are regarded, from a social movement perspective, as essential for driving collective action, which in turn nurtures discursive contestation in the public sphere, something highly valued by critical deliberative democrats (Dryzek, 2000; Rostboll, 2008). However, from a perspective of ideal deliberation, frames are related to aspects of symbolic manipulation that can distort the public will (Niemeyer, 2011) and hinder the type of reciprocal and reflexive exchange desirable in deliberation, by inducing a dismissal or committed opposition to the perspectives of others (Calvert & Warren, forthcoming). As for common good orientation, there has been a strong debate regarding its implications for the role and admissibility of self-interest in deliberation (Mansbridge, et al., 2010; Steiner, 2012). Moreover, a tension exists between both elements, since a greater prevalence of injustice frames can generate greater reluctance to explore a shared understanding of the public good with those blamed for the injustice. I argue that an interpretative approach can help understand how a widespread grassroots movement opposing the cultivation of genetically modified crops in Costa Rica has incorporated injustice frames into its approach to claim spaces in local environmental governance, and how the use of these frames has affected the orientation towards generalizable interests in public deliberations in community organizing settings and in municipal hearings. I present the strengths and limitations of the approach and connect it to a broader research project to explore the effects on deliberative quality of grassroots environmental collective action in Costa Rica. About the speaker Sergio Guillen is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, and a visiting Ph.D. student at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Between 2008 and 2013 he worked as Senior Specialist in Social Dialogue at the Foundation for Peace and Democracy (FUNPADEM) and as trans-boundary water governance consultant for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Costa Rica and Central America. He holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Carleton University (Canada), a Graduate Certificate in Natural Resources and Organization Management from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (United States), and an M.A. in Environmental Security and Peace from the UN-affiliated University for Peace (Costa Rica) Previous Next

< Back DELIBERATION IN TRANSITIONS: A PRACTITIONER'S REFLECTIONS FROM NEPAL AND AFGHANISTAN George Varughese, Niti Foundation Tue 5 March 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract In the last two decades Nepal and Afghanistan have undergone significant governance transitions, drafting and implementing ambitious new constitutions in the wake of civil conflict. In this talk, George Varughese will reflect on 25 years of personal involvement as a development practitioner in these countries, with an emphasis on recent Nepal experiences. While in both contexts, deliberative spaces were created to facilitate transitions in governance regimes, the subsequent constitutional and legal/regulatory scaffolding for state restructuring reflect minimal deliberation and public engagement. The formal and informal elite interests that captured these spaces continue to constrain the countries’ constitutional and democratic development in order to maintain impunity and extract rent. In this light, the talk will highlight challenges in supporting the publicness of policy making in Nepal, focusing on the need for the practical choices in transforming the country’s political and legal institutions, which is necessary for durable deliberative discourse to inhere in public life. About the speaker George Varughese is Senior Advisor for Niti Foundation and convenes its Strategic Advisory Group that makes broadly available analysis, guidance, and recommendations for implementing federalism in Nepal. George has 24 years of experience in international development and academia, with expertise in thought leadership/facilitation in governance with a political economy & conflict specialization and skills in strategic analysis & advice, fundraising, program design & delivery, and policy development & navigation. Most recently, George represented The Asia Foundation in Nepal (2009-2018) and Afghanistan (2005-2009), managing programs on transitional political processes and constitutional development; capacity-building initiatives in the center of government; subnational governance; conflict-transformation and peace building; women’s advancement & security; and public education and discourse on democratic political processes and rule of law. He has also provided technical assistance in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste. George is interested and involved in the institutional design of partnerships between local communities, private sector, and government officials, particularly on post-conflict development management, peacebuilding, local governance, and civic engagement. Most recently, George delivered the 2017 Howard Baker Distinguished Lecture in International Security and Development at the University of Tennessee and published “Development aid architecture and the conditions for peacebuilding and human rights in conflict-affected areas: Does the framework fit the purpose?” in Journal of Human Rights Practice (Special Issue on Human Rights and Peacebuilding, 2017, pp. 1-12). He was 2015-16 Excellence Chair and Professor in Global and Area Studies at the University of Wyoming, 2010 Senior Visiting Fellow of The Australian National University's Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, and 2008 Senior International Fellow of the City University of New York's Graduate Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society. He holds a Joint Ph.D. in Political Science & Public Administration from Indiana University, Bloomington. Previous Next

< Back Peter Bridgewater Adjunct About Peter Bridgewater is an expert in environmental science and management. His expertise spans conservation and biodiversity, natural resource management , ecology, wildlife and habitat management, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander environmental knowledge. His expertise in public and environmental policy has been sought in internationally.

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 Does deliberative democracy stand a chance in neoliberal times? 14 May 2024 ​ Prof John Dryzek, University of Canberra, Australia Prof Oliver Escobar, University of Edinburgh Register here This event is online only. Join us on Zoom. John Dryzek is Distinguished Professor in the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. He is the author of the prize-winning book Democracy in Capitalist Times: Ideals, Limits, and Struggles (Oxford University Press, 1996), whose implications for the prospects for deliberative democracy under neoliberalism have not always been appreciated. Oliver Escobar is Professor of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation at the University of Edinburgh. His work combines research and practice across various policy and community contexts at the intersection of participatory and deliberative democracy, the political economy of the commons, and the governance of the future. Profile and publications. Moderator Nicole Curato is Professor of Political Sociology at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. 10 Big Questions 20 February 2024 ​ HYBRID How can deliberative democracy listen to nonhumans? Prof Danielle Celermajer, University of Sydney, Australia Frederic Hanusch, Justus Liebig University, Germany Moderated by Dr Hans Asenbaum Watch recording 12 March 2024 ​ 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 Moderated by Dr Adele Webb Watch recording 9 April 2024 ​ 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 Moderated by Prof John Dryzek Watch recording 14 May 2024 ​ ONLINE Does deliberative democracy stand a chance in neoliberal times? Prof John Dryzek, University of Canberra, Australia Prof Oliver Escobar, University of Edinburgh Moderated by Prof Nicole Curato Register here 18 June 2024 ​ ONLINE Are everyday citizens competent deliberators? Prof Simon Niemeyer, University of Canberra Prof Daniel Kübler, University of Zurich Moderated by Dr Lucy J Parry Register here 2 July 2024 ​ HYBRID How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism? Dr Jordan McSwiney, University of Canberra Prof John Gastil, Pennsylvania State University Moderated by Prof Selen Ercan Register here 6 August 2024 ​ ONLINE How can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? Dr Hans Asenbaum, University of Canberra Dr Maria Esperanza Casullo, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro Moderated by Dr Jordan McSwiney Register here 24 September 2024 ​ HYBRID How can we build a global deliberative democracy? Nicole Curato, University of Canberra William Smith, Chinese University of Hong Kong ​ Coming Soon 8 October 2024 ​ ONLINE What can deliberative democracy learn from social movements? Nicole Doerr, University of Copenhagen Claire Mellier, Iswe Foundation Moderated by Prof Selen Ercan Coming Soon 19 November 2024 ​ HYBRID How deliberative is Australian Democracy? Selen Ercan, University of Canberra, Adele Webb, University of Canberra Carolyn Hendriks, Australian National University Moderated by Ariadne Vromen Coming Soon Recordings The CDDGG 10th Anniversary Conversation ... Play Video Play Video 32:48 Delib Dem How can deliberative democracy listen to nonhumans? 20 February 2024 | A conversation with Prof Danielle Celermajer & Dr Frederic Hanusch How can deliberative democracy listen to nonhumans? What is the normative case for including non-humans in democracy? What is the role of democratic experimentation in overcoming the limits of anthropocentric institutions? Watch an engaging conversation featuring Prof Danielle Celermajer from the Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney, and Dr Frederic Hanusch from the Panel on Planetary Thinking, Justus Liebig University. This event kicked off our 2024 conversation series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy. This seminar was chaired by Hans Asenbaum. About the speakers Danielle Celermajer is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney, and the Deputy Director of the Sydney Environment Institute. Her expertise lie in human rights, theories and practices of justice and the intersection between human, environmental and animal justice and ethics. Frederic Hanusch is co-founder and scientific manager of the “Panel on Planetary Thinking” at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Fellow at THE NEW INSTITUTE in Hamburg, and co-convener of the Earth System Governance Project’s Working Group on Democracy. Frederic recently published "The Politics of Deep Time“ with Cambridge University Press, which explores how planetary temporalities can be politically institutionalized. Currently, he is working on "The Planetary Condition". 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 29:38 Delib Dem Can deliberative democracy take root in settler colonial states? 12 March 2024 | A conversation with Dr Justin McCaul & Dr Emily Beausoleil Can deliberative democracy take root in settler colonial states? Can deliberation have a decolonial future? How can theorists and practitioners of deliberative democracy challenge entrenched paternalist attitudes towards Indigenous people and institutional non-listening? You are invited to join a conversation with Dr Justin McCaul of the Australian National University and Dr Emily Beausoleil of Victoria University of Wellington / Te Herenga Waka This event is part 2 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy. This seminar was chaired by Adele Webb. About the speakers Justin McCaul is a descendent of the Mbarbarum Traditional Owners of far north Queensland. He is a Research Associate at the College of Law, ANU. Before pursuing an academic career, he worked for more than 20 years in Indigenous policy for several non-government organisations including Oxfam Australia. His recently completed PhD examined Indigenous rights, Australia’s native title system, and deliberative democracy. Emily Beausoleil is a Senior Lecturer of Politics at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University and Editor-in-Chief of Democratic Theory. She is an Associate Investigator on the ARC grant ‘Democratic Resilience: The Public Sphere and Extremist Attacks’ held at U Canberra and Research Associate of He Whenua Taurikura-Centre for Research Excellence on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism. Her first book, Staging Democracy: The Political Work of Live Performance (De Gruyter) launched a new book series (Critical Thinking and Contemporary Politics) in 2023. 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 31:15 Delib Dem Are mini-publics enough to promote deliberative democracy? For Prof Simone Chambers (University of California Irvine), deliberative mini-publics can be most effective when they serve as opinion leaders and mobilizers in partisan debates within the voting public. Meanwhile, Prof Hélène Landemore (Yale University) argues that self-governed deliberative mini-publics need to be articulated to mass democracy via referenda, citizens' initiative, or right to referral, and serve as generalist, agenda-setting bodies with some legislative powers on their own. What role do mini-publics play in promoting deliberative democracy? What kind of power and influence should they have? This conversation was held last 8 Apr (US) / 9 Apr 2024 (Australia) and chaired by Prof John Dryzek. This event is part 3 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb. About the speakers Simone Chambers is Professor and Chair of Political Science at the University of California Irvine. She has written and published on deliberative democracy, referendums, constitutional politics, the public sphere, secularism, rhetoric, civility, digital misinformation and the work of Jürgen Habermas and John Rawls. She has recently published Contemporary Democratic Theory (2023) with Polity Press. Hélène Landemore is Professor of Political Science at Yale University and a Faculty Fellow with Yale’s Institute for Social and Policy Studies, where she leads a research agenda on Citizens' Assemblies. In 2022-23, she was part of the governance committee of the second French Citizens' Assembly, the Convention on End-of-Life Issues. Moderator John Dryzek is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and founder of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. 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.

< Back Vicky Darling Adjunct About Vicky Darling specialises in community engagement and civic participation, strategic planning and governance advice. She also has expertise in change management, workplace culture and research and policy design.

< Back Deliberation in schools Pierrick Chalaye, University of Canberra / Kei Nishiyama, University of Canberra / Wendy Russell, Double Arrow Consulting Tue 2 April 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract In 2018, we conducted a pilot Deliberation in Schools project in two ACT public schools (Ainslie Primary School year 5 and Hawker College year 11), partially funded by the International Association for Public Participation Australasia. Working with teachers and school principals, we facilitated a series of deliberative sessions with students. Through the program, we investigated how students deliberate, understand and practice democracy, and what sorts of curriculum design are needed to cultivate democratic competencies. In this presentation, we will show some tentative findings of our pilot, with a specific focus on the role of facilitator in classroom deliberation. While the role of facilitator in deliberative mini-publics has gradually received attention from scholars and practitioners alike, little is known about how to facilitate deliberation in the classroom. In this presentation, we will show how our pilot partially responds to two key questions: "How can a facilitator ensure the epistemic and inclusive quality of deliberation in the classroom?" "How can this deliberative work address power imbalances between facilitators/teachers and students?" Previous Next

< Back John Parkinson Associate and Former PhD Student About John is a Professor of Social and Political Philosophy at Maastricht University and holds the post of Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance.

< Back John Dore Associate About John Dore is the Lead Water Specialist for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), based in Bangkok, working primarily across East Asia and South Asia. John’s academic interests in deliberative water governance complement his day-to-day engagement in international water diplomacy.

< Back Empirical assessment of the impacts of deliberative democracy processes A Wendy Russell Tue 9 February 2016 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract A key standard for judging the quality of deliberative processes is impact on political decision-making. Yet impact is a multi-faceted and contested concept, in theory and practice. Macro-political impacts are often indirect and deliberative processes compete with a range of other inputs and factors for influence. The assessment of impacts is complicated by the difficulty of distinguishing measurable impacts from important impacts. As well as the impacts of particular processes, the research is interested in the ‘uptake’ of deliberative democracy generally, and how impact and uptake interact. This seminar relates to a research project, funded by the New Democracy Foundation (nDF), on the impacts of deliberative processes, particularly nDF processes. I will present a preliminary framework for assessing the impacts of deliberative processes, with a focus on macro-political impacts, which will be used in the empirical phase of the research. Input at this stage will be very gratefully accepted. About the speaker Wendy Russell is director of Double Arrow Consulting, a Canberra business specialising in deliberative engagement, and an associate of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance. She is also affiliated with the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU, and is ACT regional coordinator for the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). She previously worked in the National Enabling Technologies Strategy – Public Awareness and Community Engagement program of the Commonwealth Department of Industry & Innovation, where she managed the Science & Technology Engagement Pathways (STEP) community engagement program. Before this, she was senior lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Wollongong, where she researched social aspects of biotechnology, transdisciplinary inquiry, and technology assessment. Previous Next

< Back Ron Levy Associate About Ron Levy researches and writes on public law and political theory, especially constitutional law, the law of politics, and deliberative democracy and is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University.