Disrupting deliberation? The impact of the pandemic on the social practice of deliberative engagement

Bibliographic Data

ID6443346
AuthorsMartin Luther King (0000-0003-2677-6782, Northumbria University, corresponding author), Graham Smith (0000-0002-8537-4241, University of Westminster)
Year2024
Volume27
Issue12
Pages6612-6631
Publication date2024-08-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14614448241274777
OpenAlexW4402094832
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited29

The coronavirus pandemic disrupted established ways of doing democracy. This was particularly the case for citizens’ assemblies that have been increasingly commissioned by public authorities to help tackle complex policy problems. The social restrictions adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the ‘deliberative wave’, making the in-person participation of citizens’ assemblies unviable. It forced deliberative practitioners to rethink their standard mode of operation. In this paper, we adopt social practice theory to make sense of how the meanings, competencies and materials associated with the practice of deliberative mini-publics were challenged and, at times, reformulated as practitioners were forced to adapt to digital delivery. Our findings highlight that while aspects of deliberative practice such as inclusivity were rethought, the established identity and competencies of practitioners played a constraining role in the choices and applications of technology

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Deliberation · Media studies · Pandemic · Political science · Politics · Public engagement · Public relations · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Social media · Sociology · Medicine · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Public Policy and Administration Research · Social Media and Politics · Virology

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