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The CDDGG 10th Anniversary Conversation Series In 2024 the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, at the University of Canberra, turns 10 years old. In celebration, we are organising a conversation series that is open to all, addressing 10 of the most pressing questions facing deliberative democracy today. Each month we will host a one-hour hybrid conversation featuring two short talks by world-leading scholars and practitioners, followed by a moderated discussion. Events will be filmed and posted on our YouTube channel for wider dissemination. Please keep checking our upcoming events page for the details and registration of each month’s conversation. Next event How deliberative is Australian Democracy? 19 November 2024 ​ Selen Ercan, University of Canberra, Adele Webb, University of Canberra Andrea Carson, La Trobe University Ariadne Vromen, Australian National University Register Here This event is hybrid. Join on Zoom or at Juliet Room, Verity Lane. Panel and speakers: Moderator: Ariadne Vromen. Ariadne holds the Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration at the Australian National University Crawford School of Public Policy. She is also Deputy Dean (Research) at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. Selen Ercan: Professor and Director at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Adele Webb: Research Fellow in Democracy and Citizen Engagement at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance. Andrea Carson: Professor of Political Communication in the Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy at La Trobe University. Andrea is a political scientist and journalism scholar. 10 Big Questions 20 February 2024 ​ HYBRID How can deliberative democracy listen to nonhumans? Prof Danielle Celermajer, University of Sydney, Australia Frederic Hanusch, Justus Liebig University, Germany Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Hans Asenbaum 12 March 2024 ​ HYBRID Can deliberative democracy take root in settler colonial states? Dr Justin McCaul, Australian National University, Australia Dr Emily Beausoleil, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Adele Webb 9 April 2024 ​ ONLINE Are mini-publics enough to promote deliberative democracy? Prof Simone Chambers, University of California Irvine, United States Prof Hélène Landemore, Yale University, United States Watch Recording Moderated by Prof John Dryzek 14 May 2024 ​ ONLINE Does deliberative democracy stand a chance in neoliberal times? Prof John Dryzek, University of Canberra, Australia Prof Oliver Escobar, University of Edinburgh Watch Recording Moderated by Prof Nicole Curato 18 June 2024 ​ ONLINE Are everyday citizens competent deliberators? Prof Simon Niemeyer, University of Canberra Prof Daniel Kübler, University of Zurich Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Lucy J Parry 2 July 2024 ​ HYBRID How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism? Dr Jordan McSwiney, University of Canberra Prof John Gastil, Pennsylvania State University Watch Recording Moderated by Prof Selen Ercan 6 August 2024 ​ ONLINE How can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? Dr Hans Asenbaum, University of Canberra Dr Maria Esperanza Casullo, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro Watch Recording Moderated by Dr Jordan McSwiney 24 September 2024 ​ ONLINE How can we build a global deliberative democracy? Nicole Curato, University of Canberra William Smith, Chinese University of Hong Kong Watch Recording Moderated by Wendy Conway-Lamb 8 October 2024 ​ ONLINE What can deliberative democracy learn from social movements? Nicole Doerr, University of Copenhagen Claire Mellier, Iswe Foundation Recording Soon Moderated by Madeleine Egan 19 November 2024 ​ HYBRID How deliberative is Australian Democracy? Selen Ercan, University of Canberra, Adele Webb, University of Canberra Andrea Carson, La Trobe University Ariadne Vromen, Australian National University Register Here Moderated by Ariadne Vromen Recordings The CDDGG 10th Anniversary Conversation ... Play Video Play Video 32:48 How can deliberative democracy listen to nonhumans? 20 February 2024 | A conversation with Prof Danielle Celermajer & Dr Frederic Hanusch How can deliberative democracy listen to nonhumans? What is the normative case for including non-humans in democracy? What is the role of democratic experimentation in overcoming the limits of anthropocentric institutions? Watch an engaging conversation featuring Prof Danielle Celermajer from the Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney, and Dr Frederic Hanusch from the Panel on Planetary Thinking, Justus Liebig University. This event kicked off our 2024 conversation series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy. This seminar was chaired by Hans Asenbaum. About the speakers Danielle Celermajer is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney, and the Deputy Director of the Sydney Environment Institute. Her expertise lie in human rights, theories and practices of justice and the intersection between human, environmental and animal justice and ethics. Frederic Hanusch is co-founder and scientific manager of the “Panel on Planetary Thinking” at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Fellow at THE NEW INSTITUTE in Hamburg, and co-convener of the Earth System Governance Project’s Working Group on Democracy. Frederic recently published "The Politics of Deep Time“ with Cambridge University Press, which explores how planetary temporalities can be politically institutionalized. Currently, he is working on "The Planetary Condition". Seminar Convener: Adele Webb Online floor manager: Ferdinand Sanchez All Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel. Play Video Play Video 29:38 Can deliberative democracy take root in settler colonial states? 12 March 2024 | A conversation with Dr Justin McCaul & Dr Emily Beausoleil Can deliberative democracy take root in settler colonial states? Can deliberation have a decolonial future? How can theorists and practitioners of deliberative democracy challenge entrenched paternalist attitudes towards Indigenous people and institutional non-listening? You are invited to join a conversation with Dr Justin McCaul of the Australian National University and Dr Emily Beausoleil of Victoria University of Wellington / Te Herenga Waka This event is part 2 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy. This seminar was chaired by Adele Webb. About the speakers Justin McCaul is a descendent of the Mbarbarum Traditional Owners of far north Queensland. He is a Research Associate at the College of Law, ANU. Before pursuing an academic career, he worked for more than 20 years in Indigenous policy for several non-government organisations including Oxfam Australia. His recently completed PhD examined Indigenous rights, Australia’s native title system, and deliberative democracy. Emily Beausoleil is a Senior Lecturer of Politics at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University and Editor-in-Chief of Democratic Theory. She is an Associate Investigator on the ARC grant ‘Democratic Resilience: The Public Sphere and Extremist Attacks’ held at U Canberra and Research Associate of He Whenua Taurikura-Centre for Research Excellence on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism. Her first book, Staging Democracy: The Political Work of Live Performance (De Gruyter) launched a new book series (Critical Thinking and Contemporary Politics) in 2023. Seminar Convener: Adele Webb Online floor manager: Ferdinand Sanchez All Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel. Play Video Play Video 31:15 Are mini-publics enough to promote deliberative democracy? 9 April 2024 | A conversation with Simone Chambers and Hélène Landemore For Prof Simone Chambers (University of California Irvine), deliberative mini-publics can be most effective when they serve as opinion leaders and mobilizers in partisan debates within the voting public. Meanwhile, Prof Hélène Landemore (Yale University) argues that self-governed deliberative mini-publics need to be articulated to mass democracy via referenda, citizens' initiative, or right to referral, and serve as generalist, agenda-setting bodies with some legislative powers on their own. What role do mini-publics play in promoting deliberative democracy? What kind of power and influence should they have? This event is part 3 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb. This conversation was chaired by Prof John Dryzek. About the speakers Simone Chambers is Professor and Chair of Political Science at the University of California Irvine. She has written and published on deliberative democracy, referendums, constitutional politics, the public sphere, secularism, rhetoric, civility, digital misinformation and the work of Jürgen Habermas and John Rawls. She has recently published Contemporary Democratic Theory (2023) with Polity Press. Hélène Landemore is Professor of Political Science at Yale University and a Faculty Fellow with Yale’s Institute for Social and Policy Studies, where she leads a research agenda on Citizens' Assemblies. In 2022-23, she was part of the governance committee of the second French Citizens' Assembly, the Convention on End-of-Life Issues. Moderator John Dryzek is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and founder of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Seminar Convener: Adele Webb Online floor manager: Ferdinand Sanchez All Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel. Play Video Play Video 31:12 Does deliberative democracy stand a chance in neoliberal times? 14 May 2024 | A conversation with John Dryzek and Oliver Escobar For Prof John Dryzek, deliberative democracy does stand a chance in neoliberal times, but it should do a better job addressing the constraints on democracy inherent in the political economy. Prof Oliver Escobar, in turn, argues that it does not stand a chance unless we think critically about the type of deliberative democracies we develop and how we approach the levers of power in neoliberal times. This event is part 4 of a 10-part conversation series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb. This seminar was chaired by Prof Nicole Curato. Speakers John Dryzek is Distinguished Professor in the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. He is the author of the prize-winning book Democracy in Capitalist Times: Ideals, Limits, and Struggles (Oxford University Press, 1996), whose implications for the prospects for deliberative democracy under neoliberalism have not always been appreciated. Oliver Escobar is Professor of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation at the University of Edinburgh. His work combines research and practice across various policy and community contexts at the intersection of participatory and deliberative democracy, the political economy of the commons, and the governance of the future. Profile and publications: https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/oliver-escobar Moderator Nicole Curato is Professor of Political Sociology at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Seminar Convener: Adele Webb Online floor manager: Ferdinand Sanchez All Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel. 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Innovating Global Governance We are advocating for meaningful global citizen deliberation on urgent and emerging global issues – from climate change to genome editing. Research Leads John S. Dryzek Distinguished Professor Nicole Curato Professor Projects and grants Medical Research Future Fund Investigator(s): John Dryzek Read More Deliberative Global Governance Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek, Hayley Stevenson, Beibei Tang Read More Humanitarian Technologies: An Ethnographic Assessment of Communication Environments in Disaster Recovery and Humanitarian Intervention Investigator(s): Nicole Curato Read More A Metastudy of Public Deliberation: Updating Theory and Practice Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, John S. Dryzek, Nicole Curato, Andrè Bächtiger and Mark E. Warren Read More Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Crisis Investigator(s): Nicole Curato Read More Micropolitics of Deliberation Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek, Simon Niemeyer, Selen A. Ercan Read More Moral Disagreements: Philosophical and Practical Implications Investigator(s): Richard Rowland, Selen Ercan, David Killoren, and Lucy J Parry Read More Sparking a National Conversation Investigator(s): John Parkinson (Chief Investigator) and Núria Franco-Guillén (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Griffith University) Read More Participedia Investigator(s): John Dryzek, Selen Ercan and Lucy J. Parry Read More Monitoring Deliberative Integrity in Australia Investigator(s): Nicole Curato, Selen A. Ercan, John Dryzek and Simon Niemeyer Read More Technologies of Humanitarianism: An Ethnographic Assessment of Communication Environments in Disaster Recovery and Humanitarian Intervention Investigator(s): Mirca Madianou, Nicole Curato, Jonathan Corpus Ong and Jayeel Cornelio Read More Key publications Democratizing Global Justice: Deliberating Global Goals Dryzek, J.S. and Tanasoca, A. 2021 , Cambridge University Press Read more The Political Economy of Devolution in Britain from the Postwar Era to Brexit Nick Vlahos 2020 , Palgrave Read more The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy Edited by Andre Bächtiger, John S. Dryzek, Jane Mansbridge, and Mark Warren 2018 , Oxford University Press Read more Impact Story

Advancing Theory and Methods We provide intellectual leadership in advancing theoretical debates and methodological innovations in deliberative democracy. Research Leads Hans Asenbaum Senior Research Fellow Simon Niemeyer Professor Projects and grants Deliberative Democracy in the Public Sphere: Achieving Deliberative Outcomes in Mass Publics Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, John Dryzek, Robert Goodin, Andrè Bächtiger, Maija Setålå, Julia Jennstål, Nicole Curato Read More The Deliberative Citizen: Who deliberates, when, why and how? Investigator(s): Julia Jennstål and Simon Niemeyer Read More A Metastudy of Public Deliberation: Updating Theory and Practice Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, John S. Dryzek, Nicole Curato, Andrè Bächtiger and Mark E. Warren Read More A Metastudy of Democratic Deliberation: Updating Theory and Practice Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, John S. Dryzek, Nicole Curato, Andrè Bächtiger, Marina Lindell, Mark E. Warren, Hannah Barrowman, Francesco Veri, Nardine Alnemr Read More Understanding and Evaluating Deliberative Systems Investigator(s): André Bächtiger, Nicole Curato, John Dryzek, Selen A. Ercan, Eda Keremoglu-Waibler, Simon Niemeyer and Kei Nishiyama Read More Realising Democracy Amid Communicative Plenty: A Deliberative Systems Approach Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek, Selen Ercan, Paul Fawcett, Carolyn Hendriks and Michael Jensen Read More Technologies of Humanitarianism: An Ethnographic Assessment of Communication Environments in Disaster Recovery and Humanitarian Intervention Investigator(s): Mirca Madianou, Nicole Curato, Jonathan Corpus Ong and Jayeel Cornelio Read More The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy Investigator(s): John Dryzek and Robert Goodin Read More Key publications Research Methods in Deliberative Democracy Selen A. Ercan, Hans Asenbaum, Nicole Curato, Ricardo F. Mendonca 2022 , Oxford University Press Read more The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy Edited by Andre Bächtiger, John S. Dryzek, Jane Mansbridge, and Mark Warren 2018 , Oxford University Press Read more Impact Story

Deepening Citizen Engagement We are developing innovative ways of connecting the voices of ordinary citizens to political decision-making through participatory and deliberative approaches to citizen engagement. Research Leads Adele Webb Research Fellow Nicole Curato Professor Projects and grants Deliberative Democracy Toolkit (NSW) Investigator(s): Prof. Selen A Ercan, Prof. Nicole Curato, Dr Hans Asenbaum, Dr Jordan McSwiney, and Dr Lucy Parry Read More Monitoring Deliberative Integrity in Australia Investigator(s): Nicole Curato, Selen A. Ercan, John Dryzek and Simon Niemeyer Read More Deliberation in Schools Investigator(s): Pierrick Chalaye and Kei Nishiyama, together with the Centre’s Associate Wendy Russel Read More Connecting to Parliament: Creating authentic engagement between citizens and their elected representatives Investigator(s): Adele Webb, Nardine Alnemr, Selen Ercan, John Dryzek, Michael Neblo, Hans Asenbaum Read More Global Citizen Deliberation: Analysing a Deliberative Documentary Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek, Simon Niemeyer, Nicole Curato Read More Sparking a National Conversation Investigator(s): John Parkinson (Chief Investigator) and Núria Franco-Guillén (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Griffith University) Read More Creating And Analysing A Citizens' Parliament: Exploring The Public's Deliberative Capacity Investigator(s): John Dryzek, Lyn Carson, Simon Niemeyer, Janette Hartz-Karp, Ian Marsh, Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, Luisa Batalha, Nicole Curato Read More Genome Editing: Formulating an Australian Community Response Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek Read More Key publications Deliberative Minipublics: Core Design Features Curato, N., Farrell D., Geißel, B., Grönlund, K., Mockler, P., Renwick, A., Rose, J., Setälä, M. and Suiter, J. 2021 , Bristol Policy Press Read more Assessing the poor’s deliberative agency in media-saturated societies Nicole Curato 2020 , Theory and Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-020-09421-1 Read more Impact Story Connected to Parliament shaped Andrew Leigh MP’s conscience vote on mitochondrial donation. In September 2020, our Centre organised one face-to-face and one online townhall with the Federal MP, Andrew Leigh on the issue of mitochondrial donation. This was the inaugural online and in-person townhall for our Connecting to Parliament project, which engaged with the constituents of Fenner in Canberra’s northern and western suburbs. Andrew Leigh MP declared that his conscience vote on mitochondrial donation will be guided by the conversations that unfolded in these townhalls. Speaking on 2CC Canberra on 30 September that year. When asked if he found the process useful, he responded: "Incredibly useful. We're working with folks at Ohio State University and the University of Canberra, who are among the best in the world of deliberative democracy. I was struck not only by their expertise, but also the expertise of people in the room. I learned an awful lot about genetic disorders and about ethics just from listening to people who were there. So I'm reminded again and again what a privilege it is to represent the Canberra northside in the federal parliament. A lot of very smart and very wise people, and that really comes out in a deliberative democracy event." To find out more visit: https://connect2parliament.com/ or Read more

Current Staff Mohammad Abdul-Hwas PhD Candidate View Profile John S. Dryzek Distinguished Professor View Profile Friedel Marquardt Research Assistant View Profile Lucy J. Parry Senior Research Associate View Profile Sahana Sehgal PhD Candidate View Profile Hans Asenbaum Senior Research Fellow View Profile Madeleine Egan PhD Candidate View Profile Jordan McSwiney Postdoctoral Research Fellow View Profile Jonathan Pickering Associate Professor View Profile Temple Uwalaka Postdoctoral Research Fellow View Profile Wendy Conway-Lamb PhD Candidate View Profile Selen A. Ercan Professor and Centre Director View Profile Olivia Mendoza PhD Candidate View Profile Ferdinand Sanchez Research Assistant View Profile Adele Webb Research Fellow View Profile Nicole Curato Professor View Profile Anne Nygaard Jedzini PhD Candidate View Profile Simon Niemeyer Professor View Profile Emanuela Savini Practice Lead & Lecturer View Profile

< Back Hans Asenbaum Senior Research Fellow About Dr Hans Asenbaum is a Senior Research fellow Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis. His research interests include identity and inclusion in new participatory spaces, digital politics, and theories of deliberative, participatory and radical democracy. His work has been published in the American Political Science Review , New Media & Society , Communication Theory, Politics & Gender , the European Journal of Social Theory , and Political Studies. Hans is Co-convener of the Participatory and Deliberative Democracy Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association in the UK. After defending his thesis at the University of Westminster, he held a position as Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, Germany. He has been invited for research visits and public lectures in Germany, Brazil, and Australia and received several grants and scholarships. Key Publications Asenbaum, H. (2023). The Politics of Becoming: Anonymity and Democracy in the Digital Age . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Asenbaum, H., Chenault, R., Harris, C., Hassan, A., Hierro, C., Houldsworth, S., … II, T. J. W. (2023). A Democratic Theory of Life: Living Democracy with Black Lives Matter. Theoria , 70 (176), 1–33. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3167/th.2023.7017601 Asenbaum, H. (2022). Doing Democratic Theory Democratically. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 21 , 1–12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221105072 Ercan, S., Asenbaum, H., Curato, N., & Mendonça, R. F. (Eds.). (2022). Research Methods in Deliberative Democracy . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mendonça, R. F., Ercan, S. A., & Asenbaum, H. (2020). More than Words: A Multidimensional Approach to Deliberative Democracy. Political Studies , 0 (0), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321720950561 Asenbaum, H. (2018). Anonymity and Democracy: Absence as Presence in the Public Sphere. American Political Science Review , 112 (3), 459–472. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055418000163 Full list of publications available in GoogleSchola r .

Past Projects CDDGG has undertaken multiple projects covering a wide range of topics, from local to global democracy, from institutional politics to social movements, and on issues ranging from climate change, natural disasters to far-right extremism in Australia and around the world. Research report: Towards a coherent energy transition: expanding renewable energy and reducing inequalities in Australia Investigator(s): Jonathan Pickering and Pierrick Chalaye Read More Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Crisis Investigator(s): Nicole Curato Read More Connecting to Parliament: Creating authentic engagement between citizens and their elected representatives Investigator(s): Adele Webb, Nardine Alnemr, Selen Ercan, John Dryzek, Michael Neblo, Hans Asenbaum Read More Micropolitics of Deliberation Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek, Simon Niemeyer, Selen A. Ercan Read More Medical Research Future Fund Investigator(s): John Dryzek Read More Governing Climate Resilient Futures: gender, justice and conflict resolution in resource management Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, Hemant Ojha Read More Creating And Analysing A Citizens' Parliament: Exploring The Public's Deliberative Capacity Investigator(s): John Dryzek, Lyn Carson, Simon Niemeyer, Janette Hartz-Karp, Ian Marsh, Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, Luisa Batalha, Nicole Curato Read More Rethinking Climate Justice In An Age Of Adaptation: Capabilities, Local Variation, And Public Deliberation Investigator(s): David Schlosberg and Simon Niemeyer Read More Deliberative Democracy in the Public Sphere: Achieving Deliberative Outcomes in Mass Publics Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, John Dryzek, Robert Goodin, Andrè Bächtiger, Maija Setålå, Julia Jennstål, Nicole Curato Read More Great Barrier Reef Futures Citizens’ Jury Investigator(s): Claudia Benham, Simon Niemeyer and Hannah Barrowman Read More Communication Across Difference In A Democracy: Australian Muslims And The Mainstream Investigator(s): Bora Kanra, John Dryzek, Selen A. Ercan, Alessandra Pecci Read More Deliberative Worlds: Democracy, Justice And A Changing Earth System Investigator(s): John Dryzek, Jonathan Pickering, Jensen Sass, Ana Tanasoca Read More 1 2 3 1 ... 1 2 3 ... 3

Democratising Environmental Governance We are rethinking how human institutions, practices, and principles can develop a productive relationship with the Earth system. Research Leads Jonathan Pickering Associate Professor Simon Niemeyer Professor Projects and grants Research report: Towards a coherent energy transition: expanding renewable energy and reducing inequalities in Australia Investigator(s): Jonathan Pickering and Pierrick Chalaye Read More Enhancing livelihoods from improved forest management in Nepal (EnLiFT 2) Investigator(s): Hemant Ojha Read More Deliberative Worlds: Democracy, Justice And A Changing Earth System Investigator(s): John Dryzek, Jonathan Pickering, Jensen Sass, Ana Tanasoca Read More Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Crisis Investigator(s): Nicole Curato Read More Great Barrier Reef Futures Citizens’ Jury Investigator(s): Claudia Benham, Simon Niemeyer and Hannah Barrowman Read More Social Adaptation to Climate Change in the Australian Public Sphere: A comparison of individual and group deliberative responses to scenarios of future climate change Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, Will Steffen, Brendan Mackey, Janette Lindesay and Kersty Hobson Read More Governing Climate Resilient Futures: gender, justice and conflict resolution in resource management Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, Hemant Ojha Read More Rethinking Climate Justice In An Age Of Adaptation: Capabilities, Local Variation, And Public Deliberation Investigator(s): David Schlosberg and Simon Niemeyer Read More Deliberative democracy and climate change: building the foundations of an adaptive system Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer Read More Key publications Democratizing Global Justice: Deliberating Global Goals Dryzek, J.S. and Tanasoca, A. 2021 , Cambridge University Press Read more The Politics of the Anthropocene John S. Dryzek, Jonathan Pickering 2019 , Oxford University Press Read more Impact Story Who’s Gonna Save Us? Citizens Assemble - Triple J podcast on climate assemblies Professor Nicole Curato of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance was part of a panel of experts interviewed on Triple J on 4 October 2022, discussing deliberative approaches to climate solutions. Deliberative approaches to decision-making on important topics that affect everyone are being considered as viable elements to the solution for worldwide problems. An example of this was in 2019, when 150 French citizens were asked to come up with their country’s climate policy and were told that their ideas would be adopted. Said Nicole, ‘There is a strong argument to say that Democracy plays a role in crafting legitimate climate solutions. Meaning, no one…no climate scientist, no economist, no ethicist, no activist…no one has the monopoly of good ideas, and correct answers on climate issues.’ Read more The evolution of environmental politics The Politics of the Earth: Environmental Discourses has been listed in The Australian’s list of top ten scholarly books to have made the most impact this decade. The first edition was published in 1997, the second in 2005, and the third in 2013. Together, the three editions have sold about 35,000 copies worldwide. Read more

< Back Pragmatism, deliberative democracy and deliberative cultures John Min, College of Southern Nevada Tue 19 July 2016 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract This presentation explores the possibility of developing deliberative cultures in East Asian societies. John Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy will be considered as a third way between the ‘enlightenment deliberative culture’ and the ‘post-modernist deliberative culture.’ Whereas the former privileges universality and rationality in politics, the latter eschews those values in favor of particularity and sentimentality. A pragmatic conception of deliberative culture, inspired by Dewey’s philosophy, provides a critical, yet fluid model for transforming East Asian democracies from within. Its critical aspects arise out of the use of intelligent inquiry into problematic situations; but it is fluid enough to account for meliorating present conditions. A pragmatic conception of deliberative culture regards fallibilism (acknowledging that we can be mistaken), experimentalism (experimenting with institutions and practices), and contestation (being critical of the way we criticize) as necessary constituents of a robust deliberative culture. The loci of their development and flourishing are in individuals, families, and communities. Habits of mind and character are the conditions of their development and flourishing. Examples from China and Singapore will be considered to illustrate the key concepts and ideas undergirding a pragmatic conception of deliberative cultures. This presentation contributes to an emerging literature in deliberative democracy in thinking through deliberative cultures in East Asian societies. About the speaker John B. Min ( john.min@csn.edu ) is a Philosophy Instructor at the College of Southern Nevada. He specializes in social-political philosophy and democratic theory. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy at, where he wrote his dissertation, “An Epistemological Defense of Deliberative Democracy,” under the direction of Dr. James Bohman. His papers have been published by Contemporary Pragmatism and in a Routledge edited volume, Thinking about the Enlightenment . Previous Next

< Back John Uhr Associate About John Uhr is a Professor of Political Science in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University.

< Back Refugee politics in the Middle East and the Governance of Syria's mass displacement Tamirace Fakhoury, Lebanese American University Tue 21 August 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract Syria’s neighbourhood currently hosts almost 6 million forcibly displaced from Syria. In this context, supranational actors have provided assistance to both refugee and host communities so as to help Syria’s neighbours cope with the refugee quandary. This seminar will review the overarching policy legacies characterizing refugee governance in the Middle East. It will then explore how state actors namely Lebanon and Jordan and key supranational institutional bodies such as the European Union (EU) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have collaborated but also clashed on the refugee issue, generating ‘governance dilemmas’. The conclusion will show the implications of these dilemmas for the global refugee regime and for the power dynamics in the transregional Mediterranean system. About the speaker Dr. Tamirace Fakhoury is an associate professor in Political Sciences and International Affairs in the Department of Social Sciences, and the associate director of the Institute of Social Justice and Conflict Resolution (ISJCR) . She has furthermore taught at the summer sessions at the University of California in Berkeley between 2012 and 2016. In Fall 2018, Fakhoury will be a visiting fellow at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg/ Centre for Global Cooperation Research where she will be carrying out a project on the European Union’s role in the multi-governance of displacement. Her core research and publication areas are: power sharing in divided societies, migration dynamics and governance, Arab states’ coping mechanisms with forced migration, and the role of immigrant communities and diasporas in political transitions. She is member of the core coordination team of the Global Migration Policy Associates in Geneva. Previous Next

< Back Institutionalising deliberative mini-publics in public decision-making Claudia Chwalisz, OECD Tue 3 December 2019 11:00am-12pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract A forthcoming OECD study of over to 700 deliberative mini-publics raises new questions about their institutionalisation and the future of democracy. While there has been a proliferation of deliberative processes initiated by public authorities for decision-making over the past few decades, these have tended to remain ad hoc and dependent on political will. The remit of most deliberative processes has also been project-specific and there are few examples where citizens are able to set the agenda or define the problem. Their impact on improving citizens’ sense of agency and efficacy and increasing levels of trust, has thus remain limited. Recently, there has been some experimentation underway that aims to overcome some of these challenges, focused on embedding deliberative processes into public decision-making procedures. This seminar will explore two questions around this theme: why institutionalise, and what are the different forms of institutionalisation that are already happening, and that we could envisage? Previous Next

< Back Democratic Transformations: A conversation on systemic change ​ ​ 6 February 2024 Juliet Room, Verity Lane Market, Sydney Building, 50 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra ACT Reception: 5:30 pm Panel discussion: 6:00 – 7:15 pm Democracies’ responses to environmental crises, health emergencies, and racial violence have been unsatisfactory, to say the least. Hyper-partisan politics have taken over our representative democracies, rendering our democratic institutions vulnerable to political deadlocks and cheap political point-scoring. While there are many reasons to lose trust in our democracy, there are also many reasons to fight for it. You are invited to join a conversation on how we can transform Australia’s democracy and chart pathways for systemic change. Our discussion will kick off with three international speakers who will share lessons from democratic innovations that have taken off all over the world and demonstrate how randomly selected citizen bodies, decolonising and anti-racist action, and listening to nature and nonhumans can transform democracies today. This will be followed by an open discussion, where audiences can propose their own ideas for democratic transformation. Speakers Hans Asenbaum is the author of The Politics of Becoming: Anonymity and Democracy in the Digital Age. He is senior research fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Yves Sintomer is the author of The Government of Chance Sortition and Democracy from Athens to the Present. He is a Professor of Political Science at the Institut Universitaire de France. Melissa Williams is the founding director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Ethics. She is the author and editor of numerous books, including Voice, Trust, and Memory: Marginalized Groups and the Failings of Liberal Representation. This event launches the new blog series on Democratic Transformations led by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance and the European Consortium for Political Research. Read the blog here . Registration is a must — secure your spot now through this link .

< Back Nardine Alnemr Former PhD student About Nardine Alnemr researches algorithms in deliberative democracy. Her research interest also includes internet governance and digital rights. She currently works with Professor Nicole Curato on citizen deliberation in the Global South.

< Back Vicky Darling Adjunct About Vicky Darling specialises in community engagement and civic participation, strategic planning and governance advice. She also has expertise in change management, workplace culture and research and policy design.

< Back Deliberative Worlds: Democracy, Justice And A Changing Earth System Investigator(s): John Dryzek, Jonathan Pickering, Jensen Sass, Ana Tanasoca Funded through Laureate Fellowship (FL140100154) ($2,616,265), the Project Team includes: John Dryzek, Chief Investigator Jonathan Pickering, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Jensen Sass, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Ana Tanasoca, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Project Description This research extends deliberative democracy to three key areas: global justice, environmental governance in the Anthropocene (where human activities influence the trajectory of the Earth system) and cultural variety. It develops deliberative analysis of global anti-poverty policy, of how environmental governance is configured, and how democracy can be advanced across different cultures and internationally. The knowledge generated will inform worldwide efforts to put deliberative democracy into practice, as well as promotion of global justice, effective environmental governance, and democratisation. The Laureate Fellowship has three sub-projects: (1) Deliberating in the Anthropocene . The Anthropocene is the emerging environmental epoch in which human activity is a major driver of a less stable and more chaotic Earth system, which can be contrasted with the unusual climatic stability of the past 10,000 years of the Holocene (in which human civilization arose). The implications are profound, because dominant institutions such as states and markets developed under unusually benign Holocene conditions. They are not fit for the Anthropocene. To date the response of social scientists has been limited, producing at most calls for strengthened global governance. This project explores a deliberative approach to the Anthropocene embodying ecological reflexivity and recognizing the active influence of the earth system itself. The project is both theoretical and empirical, with applications to issues such as the global governance of climate change, and biological diversity. (2) Deliberative Global Justice . This project develops an encounter between deliberative democracy and global justice, the two most prominent programs in political theory in the past decade and more, both now wrestling with problems that intersect in interesting ways as they encounter a recalcitrant global order. The two topics have become estranged in political theory, where democracy is treated as a matter of procedure, and justice a matter of substantive outcomes that cannot be guaranteed by any procedure. At the same time there is a widely-shared feeling among theorists that the two really do belong together. Amartya Sen argues that global justice requires democracy because in any real setting, multiple conceptions of justice can apply, and public reason will be needed to sort them out. Deliberative democracy can speak to this need. More importantly, without something like deliberative democracy, the standing of the agents necessary to put justice into practice is problematic, and the conditions of their interaction impoverished. This project combines political theory and an application to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development embodying the Sustainable Development Goals. (3) Deliberative Cultures . Deliberative democracy is often viewed as being most at home in the constitutional settings of Western liberal democracies, and when applied elsewhere (to the global political system or non-Western societies) this association often forms a baseline against which other practices are measured. Yet if deliberative democracy is to apply to global contexts – such as that defining global justice and the Anthropocene (see other projects) – it is going to involve people from many cultures, with different presuppositions about appropriate political communication. While deliberation manifests a universal human competence to reason collectively (and as such is more universal than, for example, voting), its character varies considerably across time and place. A fuller understanding of political deliberation requires studying diverse social and political contexts. Such studies promise new insight into the various forms deliberative practice can take and the conditions under which it can flourish. The research begins this line of inquiry by establishing an innovative encounter between an intersubjective account of culture and deliberative theory. This encounter will proceed initially through examination of studies in cultural sociology and anthropology that speak to deliberative concerns, before moving to empirical research. All this can be deployed in response to critics who allege a Eurocentric bias in deliberative democracy. Project Outputs (selected) John S. Dryzek and Jonathan Pickering, The Politics of the Anthropocene . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. André Bächtiger, John S. Dryzek, Jane Mansbridge, and Mark Warren, eds, The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ana Tansoca, The Ethics of Multiple Citizenship . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Jensen Sass, “The Cryptonormative Swamp”, American Sociologist 49 (2018): 448-55. John S. Dryzek, “The Forum, the System, and the Polity: Three Varieties of Democratic Theory”, Political Theory 2017 . John S. Dryzek and Jonathan Pickering, “Deliberation as a Catalyst for Reflexive Environmental Governance”, Ecological Economics 131 (2017): 353-60. John S. Dryzek, “Can there be a Human Right to an Essentially Contested Concept? The Case of Democracy”, Journal of Politics 78 (2) (2016): 357-67. John S. Dryzek, “Institutions for the Anthropocene: Governance in a Changing Earth System”, British Journal of Political Science 46 (4) (2016): 937-56. John S. Dryzek, “Democratic Agents of Justice”, Journal of Political Philosophy 23 (4) (2015): 361-84. Jonathan Pickering, Frank Jotzo, and Peter J. Wood, “Splitting the Difference: Can the Global Climate Financing Effort be Shared Fairly if International Coordination Remains Limited?” Global Environmental Politics , forthcoming. Jonathan Pickering, “What Drives National Support for Multilateral Climate Finance? International and Domestic Influences on Australia’s Shifting Stance”, International Environmental Agreements 17 (1) 2017: 107-125. Ana Tanasoca, “Citizenship for Sale?: Neomedieval not just Neoliberal”, European Journal of Sociology 57 (1): 169-95. Jensen Sass, “Deliberative Ideals Across Diverse Cultures”, in Andre Bachtiger, John S. Dryzek, Jane Mansbridge, and Mark Warren, eds, The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mark Bevir and Quinlan Bowman, “Qualitative Assessment of Deliberation”, in Andre Bachtiger, John S. Dryzek, Jane Mansbridge, and Mark Warren, eds, The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy . Oxford: OUP. Public Engagement Podcast: Real Democracy Now! Bonus episodes on Deliberation, Culture, Context. Listen here . Public event: Reshaping Planetary Politics: Governance and Activism in the Anthropocene. Watch here .

< Back Katherine Curchin Associate and Former PhD Student About Katherine is an applied political philosopher with research interests in normative political philosophy, social policy and Indigenous policy in Australia. Katherine completed her PhD in Political Science under the supervision of Prof John Dryzek in 2010. Her doctoral thesis drew upon deliberative democratic theory to explore the ethics of criticising other cultures.

< Back Hate speech, criminal incitement, and freedom of expression Jeffrey Howard, University College London Tue 9 August 2016 11:00am - 12:00pm The Dryzek Room, Building 22, University of Canberra Abstract One of the most powerful arguments against hate speech is that it is dangerous: it risks inspiring listeners to engage in violence and discrimination against the people the speech smears. Even so, many believe that hate speech should not be banned, since doing so would violate the right to freedom of expression. On this view, banning hate speech disrespect listeners’ autonomy, treating them like children who cannot be trusted to make up their own minds. It compromises democratic deliberation by restricting the marketplace of ideas. And it impinges upon the free development and exercise of citizens’ rational capacities. In this talk I will argue against this popular view, contending that bans on hate speech do not affront our commitment to freedom of speech. My argument begins with an observation: virtually no one thinks that direct incitement to criminal wrongdoing, such as exhorting someone to commit a murder, is protected by the right to freedom of speech. But why not? I argue that this asymmetric treatment of direct criminal incitement, on the one hand, and dangerous hate speech, on the other hand, cannot be sustained. I review a variety of differences between the two forms of dangerous expression, arguing that they are morally insignificant. Once we appreciate the moral concerns that rightly move us to ban criminal incitement—without believing that we violate free speech in doing so—we will see that dangerous hate speech may permissibly be banned, too. About the speaker Jeff Howard is Lecturer in Political Theory and Normative Methods in the School of Public Policy at University College London. Previous Next

Our Grant and Prizes Australian Research Council Grants National Grants International Grants Deliberative Democracy in the Public Sphere: Achieving Deliberative Outcomes in Mass Publics Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, John Dryzek, Robert Goodin, Andrè Bächtiger, Maija Setålå, Julia Jennstål, Nicole Curato Funded by: Discovery Project (DP120103976) ($340,357) Deliberative Global Governance Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek, Hayley Stevenson, Beibei Tang Funded by: Federation Fellowship (FF0883522) ($1,638,730) Communication Across Difference In A Democracy: Australian Muslims And The Mainstream Investigator(s): Bora Kanra, John Dryzek, Selen A. Ercan, Alessandra Pecci Funded by: Discovery Project ($269,000) Deliberative Worlds: Democracy, Justice And A Changing Earth System Investigator(s): John Dryzek, Jonathan Pickering, Jensen Sass, Ana Tanasoca Funded by: Laureate Fellowship (FL140100154) ($2,616,265) Building Back Better: Participatory Governance In A Post-Haiyan World Investigator(s): Nicole Curato and April Porteria Funded by: Discovery Early Career Research Award (DE150101866) ($324,557) Monitoring Deliberative Integrity in Australia Investigator(s): Nicole Curato, Selen A. Ercan, John Dryzek and Simon Niemeyer Funded by: Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative Global Citizen Deliberation: Analysing a Deliberative Documentary Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek, Simon Niemeyer, Nicole Curato Funded by: ​ Democratic Resilience: The Public Sphere and Extremist Attacks Investigator(s): Selen A. Ercan, Jensen Sass, John Dryzek and Peter Balint Funded by: Funded by Australian Research Council’s (ARC) 2021 Discovery Project Scheme Genome Editing: Formulating an Australian Community Response Investigator(s): John S. Dryzek Funded by: ​ The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy Investigator(s): John Dryzek and Robert Goodin Funded by: Discovery Project (DP0342795) ($223,547) Social Adaptation to Climate Change in the Australian Public Sphere: A comparison of individual and group deliberative responses to scenarios of future climate change Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer, Will Steffen, Brendan Mackey, Janette Lindesay and Kersty Hobson Funded by: ​ Deliberative democracy and climate change: building the foundations of an adaptive system Investigator(s): Simon Niemeyer Funded by: Future Fellowship (FT110100871) ($629,090) 1 2 1 ... 1 2 ... 2 Deliberative Democracy Toolkit (NSW) Investigator(s): Prof. Selen A Ercan, Prof. Nicole Curato, Dr Hans Asenbaum, Dr Jordan McSwiney, and Dr Lucy Parry Funded by: Premier’s Department, New South Wales Government Building Democratic Resilience: Public Sphere Responses to Extremism Investigator(s): Selen A. Ercan, Jordan McSwiney, John S. Dryzek, and Peter Balint Funded by: NSW Government, Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Program 2022 Medical Research Future Fund Investigator(s): John Dryzek Funded by: Genomic Health Futures Mission Grant (2020-2022) Genome Editing: Formulating an Australian Community Response Moral Disagreements: Philosophical and Practical Implications Investigator(s): Richard Rowland, Selen Ercan, David Killoren, and Lucy J Parry Funded by: Australian Catholic University Who will Bury the Dead? Community Responses in Duterte’s Bloody War on Drugs Investigator(s): Nicole Curato, Jayeel Cornelio and Filomin Candaliza-Gutierrez Funded by: ANU-DFAT Philippines Project Small Research Grant Deliberation in Schools Investigator(s): Pierrick Chalaye and Kei Nishiyama, together with the Centre’s Associate Wendy Russel Funded by: The International Association for Public Participation 1 1 ... 1 ... 1 Research report: Towards a coherent energy transition: expanding renewable energy and reducing inequalities in Australia Investigator(s): Jonathan Pickering and Pierrick Chalaye Funded by: Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas) Strongmen of Asia: Democratic bosses and how to understand them Investigator(s): Nicole Curato Funded by: The Norwegian Research Council (AU$1.8M via University of Oslo). Humanitarian Technologies: An Ethnographic Assessment of Communication Environments in Disaster Recovery and Humanitarian Intervention Investigator(s): Nicole Curato Funded by: ​ Practicing and Visualising Democratic Disagreements in the Classroom Investigator(s): Kei Nishiyama Funded by: The Uehiro Foundation on Ethics and Education Technologies of Humanitarianism: An Ethnographic Assessment of Communication Environments in Disaster Recovery and Humanitarian Intervention Investigator(s): Mirca Madianou, Nicole Curato, Jonathan Corpus Ong and Jayeel Cornelio Funded by: The Economic and Social Research Council Urgency Grant (UK). The Deliberative Citizen: Who deliberates, when, why and how? Investigator(s): Julia Jennstål and Simon Niemeyer Funded by: ​ Understanding and Evaluating Deliberative Systems Investigator(s): André Bächtiger, Nicole Curato, John Dryzek, Selen A. Ercan, Eda Keremoglu-Waibler, Simon Niemeyer and Kei Nishiyama Funded by: DAAD/German Academic Exchange Service and Universities Australia Beyond Demagogues and Deplorables: Transforming populist rhetoric for participatory futures Investigator(s): Nicole Curato Funded by: Toyota Foundation Research Grant Program 2017 ($20,270) Deliberative democracy in the face of democratic crisis: Contributions, dilemmas and the ways forward Investigator(s): Ricardo F. Mendonça, Camilo Aggio, Viktor Chagas, Selen Ercan, Viviane Freitas, Filipe Motta, Rayza Sarmento, Francisco Tavares Funded by: Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development 1 1 ... 1 ... 1

< Back Deliberative Minipublics: Core Design Features Curato, N., Farrell D., Geißel, B., Grönlund, K., Mockler, P., Renwick, A., Rose, J., Setälä, M. and Suiter, J. 2021 , Bristol Policy Press ​ Summary Bringing together ten leading researchers in the field of deliberative democracy, this important book examines the features of a Deliberative Mini-Public (DMP) and considers how DMPs link into democratic systems. It examines the core design features of DMPs and their role in the broader policy process and takes stock of the characteristics that distinguish them from other forms of citizen participation. In doing so, the book offers valuable insights into the contributions that DMPs can make not only to the policy process, but also to the broader agenda of revitalising democracy in contemporary times. Read more Previous Next