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The Deliberative Potential of Political Discussion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2001

PAMELA JOHNSTON CONOVER ,
DONALD D. SEARING  and
IVOR M. CREWE
PAMELA JOHNSTON CONOVER
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
DONALD D. SEARING
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
IVOR M. CREWE
Affiliation:
Department of Government, University of Essex.
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Abstract

What is the deliberative potential of everyday political discussion? We address this question using survey data and qualitative data collected in six communities in the United States and Britain. Our findings suggest that political discussion is infrequently public, modestly contested and sometimes marred by inequality. But the factors inhibiting more deliberative discussions – structural, cultural and motivational in nature – should be amenable to some change, particularly through education.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , January 2002 , pp. 21 - 62
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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