Deliberative future visioning: utilizing the deliberative democracy theory and practice in futures research

Abstract

Broadly defined, deliberative democracy aspires the decision-making legitimacy by deliberation of equal citizens. As a response to the growing discontent with the representational governance, the normative and empirical development of the deliberative democracy theory addresses the increasing desiderata of public engagement beyond party politics and constituencies. Generating knowledge for the use of policy-making, foresight shares a common ground of participative and policy-impacting challenges with the deliberative democracy theory. In this article the prospects and mutual advantages of deliberative democracy (DD) alliance with the field of futures studies are discussed. The exploration strives to accentuate the societal policy-making advantages of the cross-disciplinary development. The article begins with introducing the deliberative democracy theory and the theoretical development, following with an account of some encouraging deliberative practices. A brief sketch of two recent projects enhancing participation detail the discrepancies in defining the concept. After examining the common epistemic ground of futures studies and social studies, the cross-disciplinary interface and shared key elements in policy-making impact are described. The article proposes a multi-voiced and future-oriented dialogue as a prerequisite for ameliorating societal preparedness and resilience in a world marked by proliferating uncertainty.

Resilience through Foresight: Implications for the Public Sector

“…Generally, this can have an influence on the legitimacy of government actions, as exclusion can seem to undermine democratic principles. In foresight literature, participation is seen as a resource that can be benefited from (Pernaa, 2017). This can range from the mere inclusion of interested stakeholders in the process (Schoemaker, 1995, p. 28) to people actively raising points for discussion in specific projects (Heo & Seo, 2021).…”

What Is at Stake in Teaching the EU in Times of Brexit? An Introduction

“…Nevertheless, the EU is also a success story of more than six decades of deliberation, collaboration, and forward thinking of men and women involved in the process. This is an issue worth highlighting and exploring in depth (Bua & Escobar, 2018;Fumagalli, 2019;Pernaa, 2017). But there is more to that.…”

Society as an Interaction Space

“…Viewed in general, the phenomena of enhancing the civic engagement can be anticipated to expand further, beyond the domains of direct democracy and governance into more extensive discourse in scientific issues with societal and environmental impact (e.g. Köhler et al, 2015;Pernaa, 2017;Blue, 2018). An inevitable transformation of civil advocacy is acknowledged and included in the frameworks in various European programs in the ongoing process of "aligning research and innovation to the values, needs and expectations of European society" (RRI 2014;Euroscientist, 2016).…”