ABSTRACT
In a deliberative mini-public, a representative group of citizens engage in moderated small-group discussions on a particular political issue. This chapter reviews the similarities and difference between different designs of mini-publics and the results regarding their capacity to foster the high quality deliberation and reflection. The key defining aspects of mini-publics are representativeness and deliberativeness. Deliberativeness is aimed for through facilitated small-group discussions. The chapter analyzes how these features are realized in current practices of mini-publics and how mini-publics are used in various political contexts. Like instruments of direct democracy, deliberative mini-publics engage citizens directly to consider a specific policy issue. The goal of deliberative mini-publics is obviously to create favorable conditions for democratic deliberation. Electoral authorization and accountability are the main basis of the perceived legitimacy of representative relationship in contemporary democracies. The chapter reviews the criticism of mini-publics by deliberative democrats and outlines new, alternative roles of mini-publics in various contexts of political decision-making.
