Deliberation

Question 1

Who are the author(s) associated with Deliberation?

Answer 1

Bruce Ackerman and James S. Fishkin

Question 2

Define Deliberation Day?

Answer 2

A new national holiday. Registered voters called together in neighbourhood meeting places, in small groups of 15, and larger groups of 500, to discuss central issues raised by campaign.

Question 3

Key institutional features of Deliberation Day; When is it to be held?

Answer 3

It will be a new national holiday, held one week before major national elections.

Question 4

How much will each deliberator be paid?

Answer 4

$150 for the day’s work, as long as they show up for the polls the next week.

Question 5

How many deliberative segments?

Answer 5

Four deliberative segments; whole day spend at neighbourhood schools or community centres.

Question 6

Outline key institutional features of deliberation day; what are the key mechanics of the day?
PHASE ONE

Answer 6

• randomly assigned groups of 15 who sit and watch a televised debate on leading issues by national candidates.
• The first hour of debate is divided into two to four issue segments (ones previously said by the leaders, presentations on), national candidates will not be able to prepare.
• questioned by three of nations top journalists.
• 15 last minutes, opportunity to elaborate on earlier answers.

Question 7

Outline key institutional features of deliberation day; what are the key mechanics of the day?
PHASE 2

Answer 7

15 deliberators select a foreman; main task of discussion is prepare their question for large group discussion after lunch.
Each talk for five minutes guaranteed.
75 minutes.
write question, given into foreman, he reads out, everyone votes by secret ballot, most popular three get used.

Question 8

What happens during lunch?

Answer 8

Moderator (local judge) chooses 15 questions from 100 given to them by foreman, randomly picks 15 but not ones that are similar

Question 9

Outline key institutional features of deliberation day; what are the key mechanics of the day?
PHASE 3

Answer 9

Large group meeting after lunch, three local party representatives welcomed to DD by moderator. Asks the Q and A made by the 15 man groups. Than each representative gets 5 minutes at end to summarise/ bring something else up.

Question 10

Outline key institutional features of deliberation day; what are the key mechanics of the day?
PHASE 4

Answer 10

deliberators return to small group discussion for final meeting.
All get at least five minutes again but also invited to share reaction to the response but the local party representatives.

Question 11

What happens two weeks prior to Deliberation Day?

Answer 11

• Debate organisers will ask each major candidate to answer one simple question; What are two most important issues presently confronting the nation.
• two to four themes generated.
• inform conversational run up in media, family ect.
• competing informercials devoted to rival presentations of central facts and values. (by the two parties) and national address.

Question 12

What document will be distributed prior to Deliberation Day?

Answer 12

A briefing document will be distributed to press and mass public.

Question 13

What are the four main benefits of deliberation?

simply list them

Answer 13

Information
Dialogue
Deliberation
Community

Question 14

What institutional mechanism will produce Information

2 main mechanisms

Answer 14

Institutional mechanism used; deliberation day organisers getting the main candidates to choose two main issues each prior to D day; will create a focusing effect for the minority of well informed electorate, deepen their knowledge with critical issues.
Secondly, the discussion groups made of 15 people, and everyone allowed at least 5 minutes to speak, will create the ‘anticipation effect.’ not wanting to appear foolish in front of friends.

Question 15

What institutional mechanism will produce dialogue

Answer 15

The small groups are intimate will allow face to face encounters, seeing beyond a stereotype.
The random sampling of the 15 man group means more diverse views and more understanding across social cleavages than if it was self selecting groups. with politics we tend to talk to people like ourselves, newspapers that agree with out views ect. This will deter this.
When we have serious discussions with people from different social locations; effects on policy attitudes can be dramatic, see beyond self interest.

Question 16

What institutional mechanism will produce deliberation?

Answer 16

Engaging in extended dialogue about shared public problems, in both the large and small groups, will create a feeling of solidarity among citizens. We realise that we all have a civic duty/responsibility as everyone will be affected by the result. Deliberating requires publicly defending their viewpoint, can’t be based on self-interest. Has to be about morals and common good, otherwise will be dismissed by fellow citizens.
Both these functions, the creation of solidarity and the defending of one’s reasons will reduce the issue of private ballot voting that J.S mill was concerned about.
We are more likely to put public interest before self interest.

Question 17

What institutional mechanisms will produce community?

Answer 17

Vast increase in the practical involvement of local elites in national politics and the institutional mechanism is the physical architecture of the buildings; not in the government ones but in local community buildings and the forced requirement of local elites.

Question 18

Distinguish between raw mass opinion and deliberative mass opinion?
(This is what Ackerman and Fishkin want to do)

Answer 18

Schumpeter model of democracy; representation is what happens when raw mass opinion gets filtered by deliberative elites, why Burke did not believe in delegating.
representation; elites saying they know your interest (not preferences) better than you do.
If elites just delegated; raw mass opinion, how populism is represented.
deliberative mass opinion only happens through deliberation, preferences transformed to informed opinions.