Why Deliberative Democracy?

This is a great collection by two leading thinkers that will certainly add to the current debate on deliberative democracy. Though the literature on the subject has grown in the last few years, many important issues remain to be addressed. Gutmann and Thompson's book addresses these issues.--Leonardo Avritzer, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, author of Democracy and Public Space in Latin AmericaThis book lays out, defends, and applies Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson's theory of deliberative democracy. Accessible and yet rigorous, each chapter starts from and articulates the authors' view of the subject while taking that view to new places. Concrete illustrations play a major part in all the theoretical discussions, and not only do they make the philosophical arguments clear but they also point to practical application of the theory. There is a huge political rhetoric about deliberation and citizen engagement outside academia, and this book can inform that public debate.--Simone Chambers, University of Toronto, author of Reasonable Democracy