ABSTRACT
Disillusionment and growing citizen dissatisfaction with the political process have spurred innovative thinking about democracy. Although democratic innovations were initially isolated experiments, implemented in specific local contexts, with limited impact in terms of scope and influence, they have become increasingly popular over time, and have gained national, European, and global recognition through their scaling. Following such a path, democratic innovations are no longer insular events but impact and spread through traditional representative governance practices and institutions. There is an extensive and growing literature advocating the use of democratic innovations to rescue democracy from crisis. Among these, deliberative innovations are leading the way, allowing citizens to engage in the process of argumentative deliberation about public issues. Deliberative forums, known as mini-publics, which have been organized around the world for nearly 20 years, prove that ordinary citizens can make significant contributions to solving complex public policy problems. It is believed that deliberative democracy can become the answer to the crisis of representative democracy. In examining this topic, the chapter addresses several questions. Can the discussion of public issues be based on argumentative debate? Can the style of discussion of public issues be substantive and respectful to the discussants? What role can expert and stakeholder arguments play? Can rational arguments influence the direction of public policymaking processes and change the attitudes of decision-makers? In answering these questions, the chapter uses data from qualitative empirical research conducted among Polish municipal decision-makers, including councilors, officials, and NGO activists.
