The (Severe) Limits of Deliberative Democracy as the Basis for Political Choice

Author: Gaus, Gerald F.

Source: Theoria, Volume 55, Number 117, December 2008 , pp. 26-53(28)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $32.95 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

This essay analyses optimal voting rules for one form of deliberative democracy. Drawing on public choice analysis, it is argued that (i) the voting rule that best institutionalises deliberative democracy is a type of a supermajority rule. Deliberative democracy is also committed to (ii) the standard neutrality condition according to which if x votes are enough to select alternative A, x votes must be enough to select not-A. Taken together, these imply that deliberative democracy will often be indeterminate. This result shows that deliberative democracy is ill-equipped to provide guidance as to how actual political disputes are to be legitimately resolved.

Keywords: DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY; PUBLIC REASON; VOTING RULES; SUPERMAJORITY; NEUTRALITY

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3167/th.2008.5511703

Publication date: 2008-12-01

More about this publication?

Published in association with the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Theoria is an engaged, multidisciplinary and peer-reviewed journal of social and political theory. Its purpose is to address, through scholarly debate, the many challenges posed to intellectual life by the major social, political and economic forces that shape the contemporary world. Thus it is principally concerned with questions such as how modern systems of power, processes of globalization and capitalist economic organization bear on matters such as justice, democracy and truth.
Editorial Board
Information for Authors
Submit a Paper
Subscribe to this Title
Information for Advertisers
Terms & Conditions
Aims and Scope
Recommend to your Library
Sample Copy Request
ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites