Deliberative Systems in Comparative Perspective: Conceptual, Methodological, and Empirical Innovations

The aim of this workshop is to bring deliberative democrats in closer conversation with comparative democratization scholars. We do so by exploring the recent “systemic turn” which stands at the forefront of deliberative democratic scholarship. This new phase of research seeks to uncover how deliberative values emerge within and across interconnected systems of institutions in order to promote democratization. In today’s world, the nation-state stands as the most prominent system that requires democratization. At a time when failed states persist, revolutions against authoritarianism increasingly occur, and democracy-promotion efforts continue, exploring the role of deliberation within national democratization is essential. Given the long history of work in comparative politics on national democratization, comparative scholars are well-placed to contribute to the conceptual, methodological, and empirical developments of the embryonic systemic turn. Specifically, this workshop addresses three related questions: (1) Conceptually, how can comparative scholars help advance thinking about deliberative systems within the nation-state context? (2) Methodologically, how can the relationship between different deliberative values and national democratization be assessed? And; (3) Empirically, what are the promises and pitfalls of the deliberative systems approach in comparative perspective?