Deliberative Behavior

Abstract

This workshop focuses on individuals' deliberative conduct, citizens and politicians alike. Although deliberation can be argued to be a particular ‘stance’ or mindset, it is mainly perceived of as a group-based phenomenon expected to prompt deep thought and open-mindedness. Yet, research about what exactly happens in the group setting (or in individuals’ mind) and how individuals perform in deliberation is scarce. What we know is that individuals tend to respond differently to deliberation, depending on a number of factors such as framing, personality variables, strength of attitudes and emotions. Deliberators have different styles of deliberating but they also influence one another in the group. Deliberators have different personality characteristics but are also influenced by the other group members. This panel addresses normative, theoretical as well as empirical dimensions of deliberative performance: how should individuals ideally behave in deliberative contexts? What do we know about individuals actual conduct when participating in deliberative exchanges? Do attitudes predict behavior? What is the effect of individual personalities on deliberative outcomes? What are the relevant personality characteristics to consider if we are to account for deliberative conduct? We welcome contributions on a wide range of theoretical perspectives, including normative theorization, as well as papers combining and using different methods of analysis and empirical data from a variety of political and socio-economic contexts.