This article introduces deliberative inquiry (DI), a practical theory designed to guide the work of deliberative practitioners working in their local communities to better address wicked problems by improving the quality of public discourse. DI reconceptualizes the work of public deliberation as sparking and sustaining a unique form of inquiry suited to addressing wicked problems. DI moves from a linear event‐focused model where deliberation produces refined public opinion and decision outcomes to using deliberative principles to guide a cyclical learning process. DI seeks to improve community decision making by focusing on obstacles to deliberative engagement, deliberative tensions inherent to wicked problems, and resources for collaborative action. Understanding of these elements is refined throughout the 4 tasks of the deliberative cycle.

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There are countless ways to document the currently troubled state of democracy in the United States. Whether one focuses on low voter turnout, distrust of democratic institutions, or the lack of civility displayed in Congress, town halls, or online forums, it seems clear that our democracy faces significant problems. As David Mathews (2009) has argued, these problems "of" democracy are distinct from the problems "in" democracy, such as poverty, unemployment, budget crises, and environmental concerns. At its best, a high-functioning, quality democracy minimizes the problems "of" democracy and thus can better focus on and address the problems "in" democracy. But when our democracy is weak, the problems in our communities get worse. A negative feedback loop often develops, as societal problems create tensions that weaken democracy further, causing added polarization, misunderstanding, and cynicism, which make confronting social problems more difficult.Civic education at all levels has traditionally been a critical antidote to these problems. Ideally, civic education properly prepares citizens with the prerequisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for the responsibilities of democracy. The question, however, is whether civic education programs are properly geared to the nature of the problems we face of and in democracy. In this chapter, we argue that current civic education programs often fall significantly short because they misdiagnose the nature of problems in the twenty-first century and thus leave citizens and communities woefully unequipped. We contend that due to the "wicked" nature of problems in our diverse democracies, our communities must develop and sustain their capacity for deliberative democracy and collaborative problem solving through the high-quality interactive communication across perspectives fostered by deliberative democracy. As a 15 2 NEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION, no. 135, Fall 2012

Campus‐based centers and institutes serve as hubs for local dialogue, deliberation, and collaborative problem solving.