Letting the faculty deliberate

Analyzing online deliberation in academia using a comprehensive approach

Bibliographic Data

ID12972109
AuthorsDennis Frie (0000-0002-6604-452X, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, corresponding author), Dennis M Friess
Year2018
Volume15
Issue2
Pages155-177
Publication date2018-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Information Technology & Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1933-169X • E-ISSN: 1933-1681
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19331681.2018.1460286
OpenAlexW2800177510
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited76

While the scholarship on online deliberation has recently witnessed remarkable growth, most studies have focused on different parts of deliberation, thus neglecting other parts of the theorized process. This paper presents a case study of online deliberation in academia using a framework including three analytical parts: a design fostering deliberation (institutional inputs), the quality of the communication process (communicative throughput), and the expected benefits of deliberation (productive outcomes). Each level addressed in the framework is both rooted in deliberative theory and complemented by empirical findings. Applying the framework to a case study on online deliberation about new PhD guidelines in a German science faculty demonstrates that the framework is viable for empirical research. In analyzing 435 comments and an online survey completed by 230 participants, the case study reveals that if deliberative standards at the institutional input level are met there is considerable deliberative quality at the level of communicative throughput, and expected outcomes could thus emerge. This example makes a case for further online deliberation initiatives in similar contexts such as parties or organizations that must decide on important issues or legally binding norms

Deliberation · Deliberative democracy · Democracy · Empirical research · Epistemology · Political science · Politics · Process (computing · Public relations · Quality (philosophy · Scholarship · Sociology · Computer Science · E-Government and Public Services · Knowledge Management and Sharing · Social Media and Politics

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