This book explores the role of policy expertise in a
democratic society. From the perspectives of political
science and policy theory, the chapters examine the
implications of deliberative democratic governance for
professional expertise and extends them to specific
policy practices. Following the earlier lead of John
Dewey, the discussion focuses in particular on the ways
professional practices might be reoriented to assist
citizens in understanding and discussing the complex
policy issues of an advanced technological society. In
doing so, it also explores how public deliberation can
be improved through more cooperative forms of policy
inquiry. Adopting a deliberative-analytic approach to
policy inquiry, grounded in a postempiricist,
constructivist understanding of inquiry and knowledge
and the participatory practices that support such an
approach, the chapters draw on thriving theoretical and
practical work dedicated to revitalizing the citizen's
role in both civil society and newer practices of
democratic governance-in particular deliberative
democracy, practical work with deliberative experiments,
the theory and practices of democratic governance, and
participatory research.Deliberative practices are
promoted here as a new component part of policy-related
disciplines required for participatory governance.
Calling for a specialization of ''policy epistemics'' to
advance such practices, the second half of the book
takes up issues related to deliberative empowerment,
including the relation of technical and social
knowledge, the interpretive dimensions of social meaning
and multiple realities, the role of narrative knowledge
and storylines, policy inquiry, social learning, tacit
knowledge, the design of discursive spaces, and the
place of emotional expression in public
deliberation. |
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