Advancing deliberative reform in a parliamentary system: prospects for recursive representation

Nardine Alnemr; Selen A. Ercan; Nick Vlahos; John Dryzek; Andrew Leigh; Michael Neblo

doi:10.1017/S1755773923000292

Advancing deliberative reform in a parliamentary system: prospects for recursive representation

Nardine Alnemr, Selen A. Ercan, Nick Vlahos, John Dryzek, Andrew Leigh, Michael Neblo

Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recent theories of democratic representation push beyond ‘minimalist’ notions that only rely on periodic elections to connect officials and constituents. For example, Jane Mansbridge (2019) calls for ‘recursive representation’, which seeks ongoing, two-way interaction between representatives and their constituents. Given the scale and complexity of modern representative democracies, how can such ambitious proposals be translated into practice? We analyze two Deliberative Town Halls (DTHs) convened with a Federal Member of Australian Parliament in 2020 to discuss a complex issue, mitochondrial donation, ahead of a parliamentary debate and conscience vote on this issue. Drawing on interviews with participants, we argue that democratic innovations such as DTHs can contribute to realizing recursive representation when three criteria are met: authenticity, inclusion, and impact. We discuss the significance of each criterion and the role of DTHs in advancing recursive representation in a parliamentary system.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	242-259
Number of pages	18
Journal	European Political Science Review
Volume	16
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773923000292
Publication status	Published - 1 May 2024

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title = "Advancing deliberative reform in a parliamentary system: prospects for recursive representation",

abstract = "Recent theories of democratic representation push beyond {\textquoteleft}minimalist{\textquoteright} notions that only rely on periodic elections to connect officials and constituents. For example, Jane Mansbridge (2019) calls for {\textquoteleft}recursive representation{\textquoteright}, which seeks ongoing, two-way interaction between representatives and their constituents. Given the scale and complexity of modern representative democracies, how can such ambitious proposals be translated into practice? We analyze two Deliberative Town Halls (DTHs) convened with a Federal Member of Australian Parliament in 2020 to discuss a complex issue, mitochondrial donation, ahead of a parliamentary debate and conscience vote on this issue. Drawing on interviews with participants, we argue that democratic innovations such as DTHs can contribute to realizing recursive representation when three criteria are met: authenticity, inclusion, and impact. We discuss the significance of each criterion and the role of DTHs in advancing recursive representation in a parliamentary system.",

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AU - A. Ercan, Selen

AU - Vlahos, Nick

AU - Dryzek, John

AU - Leigh, Andrew

AU - Neblo, Michael

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Consortium for Political Research. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2023.

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Advancing deliberative reform in a parliamentary system: prospects for recursive representation

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