ABSTRACT
In its simplest terms, deliberative democracy refers to a conception of democratic government that secures a central place for reasoned discussion in political life. This conception has itself been the topic of much recent discussion, most of it favourable, with even its critics tending to acknowledge the intuitive attractiveness of democratic deliberation. 1 The new use of the label ‘deliberative’ by veteran political theorists John Rawls and Jürgen Habermas to describe their - quite dissimilar - normative conceptions of democracy is further evidence of its popularity. 2 Deliberative democracy, it seems, is in vogue. But does it deserve its current favourable reception? Why should we prefer a deliberative model to, for example, a non-deliberative participatory model or a purely procedural one? This chapter sets out to consider the merits of the main arguments commonly advanced in favour of the deliberative conception of democracy. It groups these under five broad headings.
