Normative perspectives on citizens' assemblies

Abstract

The OECD suggests that we are experiencing a "deliberative wave" - an increase in the interest in and application of deliberative mini-publics such as citizens' assemblies. The metaphor of a wave overstates the extent of this deliberative practice, but significant examples have appeared in recent years - for example, the Irish Citizens' Assembly, the French Citizens' Convention on Climate, as well as a number of local processes based on the same principles. A rich research agenda has developed that focuses on empirical questions such as how such assemblies affect the attitudes of participants and the general public. At the same time, a debate about the normative standing of citizens’ assemblies has emerged, but it is limited by its rather generic analysis of deliberative mini-publics, with little conceptual interrogation of actual cases. This roundtable provides a much needed opportunity for theoretically-informed reflections on the emerging practice of citizens’ assemblies.

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