From Citizens’ Deliberation to Popular Will-Formation? Generating Democratic Legitimacy in Transnational Deliberative Polling

TY - JOUR

T1 - From Citizens’ Deliberation to Popular Will-Formation? Generating Democratic Legitimacy in Transnational Deliberative Polling

AU - Trenz, Hans-Jörg

AU - Olsen, Espen Daniel Hagen

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - In this article, we critically discuss the democratic legitimacy of deliberative experiments taking place in a transnational setting. We argue that while deliberative polls through scientific design may enhance equal participation and informed opinion making of selected citizens, their representative status as part of a broader constituency and as a generator of democratic legitimacy is less clear-cut. To illustrate our argument, we analyse the results and organisation of Europolis, a transnational deliberative experiment. This is an ideal case for analysing the linkage between scientific validity of deliberative experiments and democratic legitimacy because it introduces variation in terms of constituency and group plurality. By critically scrutinising this deliberative event, we provide a first take on specifying scope conditions for deliberation, with direct reference to the lessons from the experiment, reflection on methodological problems and, finally, an attempt to discern ways to move from deliberation to will formation in the EU setting.

AB - In this article, we critically discuss the democratic legitimacy of deliberative experiments taking place in a transnational setting. We argue that while deliberative polls through scientific design may enhance equal participation and informed opinion making of selected citizens, their representative status as part of a broader constituency and as a generator of democratic legitimacy is less clear-cut. To illustrate our argument, we analyse the results and organisation of Europolis, a transnational deliberative experiment. This is an ideal case for analysing the linkage between scientific validity of deliberative experiments and democratic legitimacy because it introduces variation in terms of constituency and group plurality. By critically scrutinising this deliberative event, we provide a first take on specifying scope conditions for deliberation, with direct reference to the lessons from the experiment, reflection on methodological problems and, finally, an attempt to discern ways to move from deliberation to will formation in the EU setting.

U2 - 10.1111/1467-9248.12021

DO - 10.1111/1467-9248.12021

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0032-3217

VL - 62

JO - Political Studies

JF - Political Studies

IS - Supplement S1

ER -