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

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

doi:10.1017/S1755773923000292

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

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

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

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

European political science review, Vol.16(2), pp.242-259

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773923000292

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Abstract

representation

recursive representation

deliberative town hall

constituent

elected officials

parliament

conscience vote

Political science

Civics and citizenship

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.

Details

Title: Advancing deliberative reform in a parliamentary system: prospects for recursive representation
Authors/Creators: Nardine Alnemr (Author)
Selen A. Ercan (Author) - Univ Canberra, Ctr Deliberat Democracy & Global Governance, Canberra, Australia
Nick Vlahos (Author) - Natl Conf Citizenship, Washington, DC USA
John S. Dryzek (Author) - Univ Canberra, Ctr Deliberat Democracy & Global Governance, Canberra, Australia
Andrew Leigh (Author) - Member Parliament, Canberra, Australia
Michael Neblo (Author) - Ohio State Univ, Inst Democrat Engagement & Accountabil, Columbus, OH USA
Publication Details: European political science review, Vol.16(2), pp.242-259
Publisher: Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Consortium for Political Research
Identifiers: 991005631869707891
Murdoch Affiliation: Murdoch University
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 6 Social Sciences; 6.27 Political Science; 6.27.157 Political Representation
Web Of Science research areas: Political Science
ESI research areas: Social Sciences, general