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What is Public Deliberation? An Introduction

December 7, 2016 Erin Payseur Oeth

Public Deliberation is one of my favorite approaches for engaging students in conversations about pressing social issues and working with others to solve community problems. Given the recent post-election climate, it is a particularly valuable framework to facilitate healthy conversation around policy issues and to bring students with differing views to the table together.

For those unfamiliar with public deliberation, the deliberative process brings people together to sort through three or four different research-based perspectives on a given social issue. The goal is not to come to consensus, but rather to understand each perspective and its underlying values, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each. This structured process ensures that we hear and understand multiple perspectives and that we recognize the need to balance our individual interests with those of the community. It is a process undergirded with the recognition that there are often competing positive values that require us to make tough choices between multiple legitimate options, and that even our preferred options come with trade-offs and consequences that need to be considered.

Two years ago, a colleague and I hosted our first two deliberative forums, one on immigration and one on the changing role of higher education. Since then, we have launched the Baylor Public Deliberation Initiative and have experienced the value of the deliberative process for engaging students and community members in productive and respectful conversation on hot topics like campus carry, racial climate on college campuses, addiction, and more.

In these forums, facilitators, often using issue guides from the National Issues Forum, guide students through a structured discussion of differing policy options. Each perspective is given equal time and equal respect. Regardless of their personal opinion, participants spend time understanding each one, discussing the values inherent in that perspective, as well as its potential benefits and trade-offs.

For immigration, for example, participants deliberate through three options: welcoming new arrivals, securing the border, or promoting economic prosperity (admitting immigrants based on economic needs & factors). Not only do a vast majority of participants leave thinking differently about the issue, they also are able to begin identifying potential common ground. In recognizing the value of different perspectives, they recognize the need to balance competing positive goods and to look for potential ways forward together, balancing economic interests with humanitarian responsibility and national security.

Participants may or may not change their preferred option but afterward often convey a new understanding and appreciation for other viewpoints. They often indicate that they considered new aspects of the issue or new possibilities that they had not considered before and often can identify new areas of common ground with others.

The civic goals and outcomes for public deliberation include the following, as identified by Carcasson (2009):

  • Awareness & understanding of issues
  • Improved democratic attitudes
  • Improved democratic skills
  • Improved community action
  • Improved institutional decision-making
  • Improved community problem-solving

We have already seen some of these improvements on our campus, and we continue to see the need for more. As we continue to practice public deliberation, we continue to build the civic capacity of our students and our community, we continue to provide space for a different kind of conversation, and we continue to see the value of a framework that guides the way.

For a deeper understanding of the deliberative practice & process, I highly recommend Carcasson & Sprain’s article (2010) on the key aspects of the deliberative democracy movement. This article highlights the core principles of public deliberation including the roles & processes that guide a forum, as well as potential impacts and implications.

For those interested in getting started with public deliberation, the National Issues Forum has a plethora of resources, issue guides, and materials to guide you through the process of planning, convening, and facilitating a forum.

Works Cited:

  • Carcasson, M. & Sprain, J. (2010). Key Aspects of the Deliberative Democracy Movement. Public Sector Digest. www.publicsectordigest.com
  • Carcasson, M. (2009). Beginning with the End in Mind: A Call for Goal Driven Deliberative Practice. Center for Advances in Public Engagement. Occasional Paper. No.2.

Additional Resources:

  • Resource Guide on Public Engagement (2010). National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation – outlines different engagement streams & processes for exploration, conflict transformation, decision making, and collaborative action.
  • National Issues Forum – research based issue guides for numerous public issues, along with information & resources for facilitators on how to host forums.
  • National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation – a network of practitioners, a resource clearinghouse, a valuable learning community for dialogue and deliberation
  • Kettering Foundation – focuses on supporting democratic practice through resources, publications, and training