ABSTRACT
Participatory governance and deliberative democracy are redefining politics and policy around the world. Yet, we know little about the emerging cadre of public officials tasked with turning participation ideals into public administration practices. Drawing on ethnographic research shadowing official participation professionals in Scotland, this study analyzes their role in reshaping local democracy and their struggles to negotiate the uneasy cultural fit between new participatory processes and established representative and bureaucratic institutions. The chapter addresses important dilemmas in the professionalization of deliberative democracy: Should participation be organized by public officials or by independent professionals? What are the promises and perils of institutionalizing public engagement work?
