Deliberative Democracy in Practice: Handbooks on Commissioning, Facilitating, and Evaluating Deliberative Processes

Governments seeking to address declining trust, increasing polarisation, and greater complexity in government policy have increasingly turned to democratic innovations to engage citizens. For practitioners and academics alike, the term ‘deliberative wave’ has become shorthand to describe the increased popularity of these tools and the emergence of a field of study that has the potential to revitalise citizen-state relationships. The practical handbooks reviewed here present a mosaic of tools, resources, and lessons from experience to ensure the successful commissioning, organisation, and facilitation of deliberative mini-publics (DMPs). They each provide valuable insights based on years of expertise developed running processes with publics (Enabling National Initiatives, Facilitating Deliberation) or consolidating a vast array of international experience (Assembling an Assembly, Innovative Citizen Participation, Evaluation Guidelines, Eight Ways to Institutionalise). In this review I reflect on definitions of deliberation; why these guides argue DMPs are important; and the connection between deliberative democracy theory and practice.