Belgian research (n = 1,579)
paperCredibility Rating
High quality. Established institution or organization with editorial oversight and accountability.
Rating inherited from publication venue: Wiley Online Library
Tangentially relevant to AI governance discussions around deliberative democracy and citizen participation in technology policy; this political science paper focuses on Belgian public attitudes toward minipublics rather than AI safety directly.
Metadata
Summary
This 2024 study published in the European Journal of Political Research surveys 1,579 Belgian citizens to assess how the public perceives deliberative minipublics—small, randomly selected citizen panels—as tools for solving political problems. The research examines factors shaping public support for these democratic innovations as alternatives or complements to traditional representative institutions. Findings contribute empirical evidence on citizen attitudes toward participatory and deliberative democracy.
Key Points
- •Surveys 1,579 Belgian citizens on their perceptions of deliberative minipublics as problem-solving mechanisms in democracy.
- •Investigates public attitudes toward citizen assemblies and sortition-based deliberative processes as alternatives to representative politics.
- •Published in European Journal of Political Research (2024), providing rigorous empirical data on support for democratic innovations.
- •Relevant to debates on collective intelligence, participatory governance, and institutional design for complex societal challenges.
- •Findings inform how deliberative processes might be scaled or legitimized for contentious policy decisions, including emerging technology governance.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| AI-Assisted Deliberation | Approach | 63.0 |
Cached Content Preview
# The perceived problem‐solving potential of deliberative minipublics: Evidence from a survey of Belgian citizens Authors: Lisa Van Dijk, Hannah Werner, Sofie Marien Journal: European Journal of Political Research Published: 2024-08 DOI: 10.1111/1475-6765.12639 ## Abstract Abstract Concerns about widespread democratic dissatisfaction have prompted a search for remedies, such as increasing citizens’ role in politics. While the public seems supportive, it remains unclear whether such newly introduced procedures can effectively tackle citizens’ dissatisfaction with present‐day politics. This paper develops a problem‐solving approach to studying this question. It proposes that combining insights on what ‘pushes’ and ‘pulls’ people to support procedural reform is crucial: Only then can we uncover if and how people consider procedural reform as addressing the problem(s) they see in the representative system today. Using the example of deliberative minipublics and original, pre‐registered survey data from Belgium (n = 1,579), we find that respondents generally think of minipublics as problem‐solvers rather than problem‐creators, albeit to different degrees. For instance, this perceived problem‐solving potential is more pronounced among discontent citizens. This study sheds new light on the importance of studying citizens’ reasoning about the roots and remedies for political dissatisfaction.
20cc840643f1d258 | Stable ID: sid_lNrM9sfxIw