Defending Democracy Through Deliberative Capacity Building

"Right-wing populist and authoritarian leaders dismantle democratic checks on state power, repress opponents, and try to control once-autonomous institutions such as the media, corporations, and universities. Citizens lose trust in their democracy. Elites and the public alike-intent on defeating the other side-seem happy to abandon democratic principles. Rising inequality means that more than ever, plutocrats can translate their wealth into political power. Unscrupulous elites prosper,"

"Deliberative democracy is most readily conceived as a deepening project, one that is attuned to the deficiencies of existing democracies-notably (though not exclusively), of the sort found in liberal democratic states. In this light, democratization can be interpreted as the building of deliberative capacity of a system-not just or even primarily in the establishment and consolidation of the familiar institutions of electoral democracy. This capacity can be understood as the degree to which a political system has structures to host deliberation that is authentic, inclusive,"

Democracy faces erosion from right-wing populism, authoritarian leaders, and elite capture that weaken institutional checks, repress opponents, and co-opt media, corporations, and universities. Citizens are losing trust in democratic institutions while polarization and zero-sum politics encourage abandonment of democratic norms. Rising inequality allows plutocrats to convert wealth into political power, empowering unscrupulous political and media actors. Deliberative democracy emphasizes mutual communication that weighs preferences, values, and interests and has grown as a theoretical and practical response. Democratization can be reframed as building deliberative capacity by creating authentic, inclusive, and consequential structures for meaningful public deliberation.

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