The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy. This project links the theory of deliberative democracy to institutional innovation, to benefit both, through comparative case analyses of democratic innovations in different countries. It is hypothesized that particular kinds of institutional innovation (such as consensus conferences, policy dialogues, dialogical networks) will work out quite differently in different political contexts. If so, then the emphasis of almost all democratic theory o ....The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy. This project links the theory of deliberative democracy to institutional innovation, to benefit both, through comparative case analyses of democratic innovations in different countries. It is hypothesized that particular kinds of institutional innovation (such as consensus conferences, policy dialogues, dialogical networks) will work out quite differently in different political contexts. If so, then the emphasis of almost all democratic theory on models of democracy is misplaced: instead, theorists should attend to processes of democratization in particular contexts. The results of the comparative case analyses will be used to reflect back upon, and reformulate, deliberative democratic theory.Read moreRead less
Creating and Analysing a Citizens' Parliament: Exploring the Public's Deliberative Capacity. This project will contribute to public understanding of Australia's institutions of government, and to debates about possibilities for their reform. It will also demonstrate the contributions to governance that large-scale forums composed of typical citizens could make. In so doing, the project will illuminate the possibilities for more effective citizen participation and public consultation in Australia ....Creating and Analysing a Citizens' Parliament: Exploring the Public's Deliberative Capacity. This project will contribute to public understanding of Australia's institutions of government, and to debates about possibilities for their reform. It will also demonstrate the contributions to governance that large-scale forums composed of typical citizens could make. In so doing, the project will illuminate the possibilities for more effective citizen participation and public consultation in Australia's democracy. The project will develop applied expertise on these issues, and solidify Australia's standing as a leader when it comes to innovative democratic reform.Read moreRead less
The Micropolitics of Deliberation. This project will show how deliberative mechanisms can be designed and employed in Australia's system of governance (and in other countries), thereby improving the quality of citizen participation in Australian democracy and indicating more effective means of public consultation in policy making. The project will develop applied expertise on these issues, which can be put to use in the context of widespread current interest in deliberative consultation in gove ....The Micropolitics of Deliberation. This project will show how deliberative mechanisms can be designed and employed in Australia's system of governance (and in other countries), thereby improving the quality of citizen participation in Australian democracy and indicating more effective means of public consultation in policy making. The project will develop applied expertise on these issues, which can be put to use in the context of widespread current interest in deliberative consultation in government (especially in natural resource management).Read moreRead less
Communication Across Difference in a Democracy: Australian Muslims and the Mainstream. The relationship between Islam and democracy is of central importance to Australia. In light of the possibility of radical Islamist recruitment within such communities, it is vital to establish the place of these communities in relation to other groups in the context of a liberal democratic society. The debate on the compatibility of Islamic and western values has been very prominent. Our focus on the attitude ....Communication Across Difference in a Democracy: Australian Muslims and the Mainstream. The relationship between Islam and democracy is of central importance to Australia. In light of the possibility of radical Islamist recruitment within such communities, it is vital to establish the place of these communities in relation to other groups in the context of a liberal democratic society. The debate on the compatibility of Islamic and western values has been very prominent. Our focus on the attitudes of Australian Muslims and how they perceive themselves in relation to western values (and how the mainstream perceives Muslims) has implications for policy and social learning across Islamic and non-Islamic communities, and so more productive social and political relationships.Read moreRead less