The Role of Experts across Two Different Arenas in a Deliberative System

Abstract

The notion of a "deliberative system" has become central to debates on deliberation. The plea to regard deliberative processes from a system-wide perspective is genuinely innovative and attractive, but little has been done to understand how deliberation in one arena or a separate institution relates to other arenas. This study investigates the role that experts play in public communication in two arenas that have distinct systemic functions. It compares how experts express and justify their opinions on a controversial public policy in legislative public hearings and when they are quoted in the news media. Our findings, based on an empirical case study, revealed that experts played a similar role in different contexts in micro-and macro arenas; and most debate participants appealed to technical knowledge to compel a particular decision. Our analysis concludes by reflecting upon the interconnectivities of the aforementioned arenas; and the systemic approach implications on empirical research.

Temporalidades em disputa: uma leitura deliberacionista de conflitos ambientais

“…Um dos pilares do conceito de sistema deliberativo é que debates públicos se estruturam a partir de um conjunto de arenas formais e informais, espraiadas temporal e espacialmente, embora conectadas de alguma forma. Muito esforço analítico tem sido feito, nos últimos anos, para buscar compreender de que maneira essas arenas se estruturam e se conectam, tornando-se mais (ou menos) inclusivas e democráticas (Parkinson e Mansbridge, 2012;Boswell, Hendriks e Ercan, 2016;Mendonça, 2016;Faria, 2017;Steiner et al, 2017;Bächtiger et al, 2018;Neblo e White, 2018;Curato, 2019;Maia, Laranjeira e Mundim, 2017;Maia et al, 2017). Pouco se discutiu, contudo, a respeito de como as temporalidades que atravessam processos discursivos interferem na análise deliberativa (Sarmento, 2013), muito embora um dos primeiros esforços na tentativa de teorização sobre sistemas deliberativos tenha sido a ideia de sequência de momentos deliberativos (Goodin, 2005).…”

Deliberative Democracy in Higher Education: The Role of Critical Spaces Across Universities

“…While there have been developments in the field of deliberative democracy and higher education, one issue that remains underexplored relates to the role of scholars as participants in deliberation. At best, the literature on deliberative democracy portrays scholars as resource persons in minipublics or subject matter experts on topics subject to wider public deliberation (Fishkin, 2009(Fishkin, , 2013Maia, et al, 2017;Sprain, Carcasson, & Merolla, 2014). Meanwhile, the higher education literature, as discussed in this section, portrays scholars or teachers as facilitators of deliberation in their classrooms.…”

News Media and Connectivity in Deliberative Systems: Reflections on the Debate about the Brazilian Age of Criminal Responsibility,

“…However, it is necessary to recognize that there are contradictions within the media system itself. The media, especially the mass media, have their own operating dynamics that can restrict, shape and limit the way information reaches citizens, by restricting the access to certain actors, selecting, clipping and framing issues, in addition to their own political and economic interests (BIROLI, 2013;BOHMANN, 2000;MAIA, LARANJEIRA and MUNDIM, 2017). Biroli (2013) argues that the boundaries to media access are both internal and external.…”

“…Of course, this connector role is not perfectly played by the media. As stated earlier, one must consider that the media also interpret, frame and can distort issues due to private interests and their own logic of operation (BIROLI, 2013;BOHMANN, 2000;MAIA, LARANJEIRA and MUNDIM, 2017). When we look at the system as a whole, there is a possibility that these problems may be alleviated by other arenas or actors (MANSBRIDGE et al, 2012 Experts and members of civil society, for example, may circulate through different spaces -and different discourses also circulate with them (DODGE, 2014(DODGE, , 2010FARIA, 2017;MENDONÇA, 2016;MOTTA, 2016).…”