Deliberative Democracy and Beyond: Liberals, Critics, Contestations

by John S. Dryzek

In this ground-breaking study, John Dryzek argues that democratic theory is now dominated by a deliberative approach. As one of those responsible for this turn, John Dryzek now takes issue with the direction it has taken. Discussing the models of democracy advocated by both friends and critics of the deliberative approach, Dryzek shows that democracy should be critical of established power, transitional in extending beyond national boundaries, and dynamic in its openness to changing constraints upon and opportunities for democratization.

Genres: Politics, Political Science, Philosophy, Nonfiction

207 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2000

Reviews

[Doni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Delineates different kinds of democracies rather than explore how to do deliberative democracy like I was hoping.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful look at deliberative democracy and discourse, a little dry perhaps, but clearly written and a very nice combination of the theoretical and the devastatingly practical. He even pulls off the chapter on incorporating the non-human as an actor in the discourse, I think. I'm not entirely sure that I understand how that works, but he definitely does not read like a new age wiccan which I confess I was a bit worried about. But both Habermas and Foucault are here, and this is an important attempt to disentangle the two primary strands within deliberative democracy, and recover the strength of the critical from the conservative.