Do People Evaluate Local Officials Differently When They See Them Deliberate?

• In Event: Democratic Participation in Cities

Abstract

Cities across the U.S. have been implementing reforms to foster more deliberation between local officials and the public. While we know about the (potential) positive effects of deliberation on policy-making, we do not know if exposure to environments where local officials are deliberative impacts the political attitudes and behavior of city residents, particularly those less likely to be involved in local politics. Using an experimental design in which I randomly assign people clips of different types of school board meetings, I find evidence that even being exposed to a deliberative environment results in residents developing positive political attitudes and more of a willingness to engage in local collective action efforts.

Author

• Jonathan Collins, Brown University