Cristina Lafont's Critique of Deliberative Mini-publics

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Session Description

Cristina Lafont has offered a sustained critique of the idea that deliberating mini-publics should have any decision-making authority. In several articles and a forthcoming book (Democracy Without Shortcuts) she argues from the perspective of those who are not randomly selected that following the mini-public’s decisions undermines the public’s capacity for self-government. Since mini-publics have become the most prominent means for realizing deliberative democracy, this critique is of broad interest. If mini-publics have no decisional power, then deliberative democracy is just talk. If they have decisional power, they would seem to undermine the capacity for self government by the rest of the public. Her critique, if pushed to the limit, could undermine the capacity of deliberative democracy methods to provide an antidote to populism. This roundtable will explore these ideas by advocates and critics of the use of deliberating mini-publics.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 2: Foundations of Political Theory

Chair

• Alice Siu Stanford University

Presenters

• James S. Fishkin Stanford University

• Cristina Lafont Northwestern University

• Jane Mansbridge Harvard Kennedy School

• Mark E. Warren University of British Columbia

• Simone Chambers University of California, Irvine

• Helene E. Landemore Yale University