Power in Deliberative Democracy

Reviews / Votes

"This book confronts the realist challenge head-on and makes a thorough and compelling case for the relevance and importance of deliberative democracy in a world full of power, coercion, and strategy. Equal parts comprehensive introduction and sophisticated defense, the authors present deliberative democracy in a new and powerful light. The book is sure to be a must-read in the growing field of deliberative democracy studies." (Simone Chambers, Professor, Political Science, University of California Irvine, USA)

"In their admirably clear and nuanced book, Curato, Hammond and Min place the concept of deliberative democracy where it belongs: at the centre of the complex realities of political and social power. This opens up new normative as well as empirical perspectives in critical democratic theory, much needed in a time of worries about the future of democracy." (Rainer Forst, Professor, Political Theory and Philosophy, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany)

"Foranyone keen to understand where and how power fits into deliberative democracy, this book is a must-read. The authors offer a clear-eyed assessment of how coercive and productive forms of power feature in the norms, forums and systems of public deliberation. More broadly the book makes a timely and important contribution to debates on the relevance of deliberative democracy for modern societies beset with complex power relationships." (Carolyn M. Hendriks, Associate Professor, Public Policy and Governance, Australian National University, Australia )

"This book is a must-read for people interested in democratic theory. Its most important contribution is to address the problem of power in deliberative democracy, often regarded as the weakest point of previous literature. This book also offers a robust and refined picture of deliberative democracy." (Tetsuki Tamura, Professor, Political Science, Nagoya University, Japan)