Institutional listening in deliberative democracy: Towards a deliberative logic of transmission

Abstract

This article explores the role of institutional listening in deliberative democracy, focusing particularly on its contribution to the transmission process between the public sphere and formal institutions. We critique existing accounts of transmission for prioritizing voice over listening and for remaining constrained by an ‘aggregative logic’ of the flow of ideas and voices in a democracy. We argue that formal institutions have a crucial role to play in ensuring transmission operates according to a more deliberative logic. To substantiate this argument, we focus on two recent examples of institutional listening in two different democracies: Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the United States’ Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. These cases show that institutional listening can take different forms; it can be purposefully designed or incidental, and it can contribute to the realization of deliberative democracy in various ways. Specifically, institutional listening can help enhance the credibility and visibility of minority groups and perspectives while also empowering these groups to better hold formal political institutions accountable. In these ways, institutional listening helps transmission operate according to a more deliberative logic.

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“…In a bid to investigate the ontological and epistemological questions related to the attention and debate surrounding gender violence and feminist justice, the study turns attention to the process of deliberation and its attributes rather than just outcomes (Rishel, 2011). Deliberation is complex since it does not follow designed paths (Scudder et al, 2021). Its formal and informal forms (Eveland et al, 2011; Wyatt et al, 2000) are both valuable, and this study specifically focuses on individual communication and considers that as important forms of participation.…”

“…Essentially a political approach, deliberative democracy as a theory postulates the importance of deliberation to encourage truthful and balanced discourse that promotes proactive and constructive discussion aimed at moving toward solutions (Gastil, 2008). Deliberation is a definitionally complex concept since it is not always a formal carefully designed product (Scudder et al, 2021). It has previously been distinguished into formal and informal forms (Eveland et al, 2011; Wyatt et al, 2000) where attention has been placed on the importance of the individual as an informal communicator whose sociable conversation is an important indicator of participation.…”