Can Direct Democracy Be Made Deliberative?

Abstract:     
Every election cycle a great number of citizens take to the polls to vote on public policy matters directly. Direct democracy has problems. And an account of deliberative democracy — far from being a source to critique direct democracy — might provide a solution.

I have three goals in this short Essay. First, I hope to identify some problems with the mechanisms of direct democracy that most states and many cities throughout the country employ: the initiative and the referendum. Next, I will offer a potential solution to these institutional problems using aspects of the theory of deliberative democracy, a theory often marshaled to undermine direct democracy. Finally, I will spell out why this design project should be of especial interest to lawyers.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 14

Accepted Paper Series