Deliberation in Parliament: Research Objectives and Preliminary Results of the Bern Center for Interdisciplinary Deliberation Studies (BIDS)

Abstract

Deliberation in parliaments aspires to convey public justification to general norms mandatory for all. Deliberative theory looks at the normative and empirical implications of this institutional role. Within the first sections of this article, we want to explain the relationship between the argumentation requirements derived from discourse theory, the legitimation concept that results from the procedural role of parliaments within the legal framework, and the legitimacy requirement that captures the need for public acceptance. Within the last sections, the empirical analysis of discursive elements within parliamentary debates is discussed.

Keywords: deliberation, discourse, parliament, political philosophy, democratic theory, legitimation, legitimacy, empirical analysis