Addressing Self-Exclusion in Upscaled Mini-Publics: Evidence from CoFE’s European Citizens’ Panels

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.This essay examines the challenge of epistemic injustice in upscaled mini-publics, focusing on how unequal access to knowledge affects the inclusiveness and equality of deliberative processes at regional and global levels. Drawing on deliberative democratic theory and an ethnographic study of the European Citizens' Panels of the Conference on the Future of Europe (2021-2022), the essay identifies epistemic self-exclusion as a critical barrier to participation for marginalized groups, particularly women, young people, non-English speakers, and less educated citizens. It argues that participants who perceive themselves as lacking the knowledge necessary for deliberation often refrain from contributing, while those with greater prior knowledge dominate discussions, undermining the core principles of mini-publics of inclusiveness and representativeness. To address this, the essay argues for targeted preparatory training to provide subordinated groups with accessible and digestible information prior to deliberative sessions. By promoting epistemic justice, these measures aim to empower subordinated groups in deliberation and enhance the legitimacy of upscaled mini-publics as forums open to all in diverse and complex societies.