Articles by Enrico Biale

MANCEPT Workshops in Political Theory, 8th Annual Conference

Manchester, August 31-September 2nd 2011

Call for papers

Deliberative Democracy, Interests and Partisanship

Convenors:

Enrico Biale (University of Piemonte Orientale)

Valeria Ottonelli (University of Genova)

In the last few years the mainstream theory of deliberative democracy has been criticized because it underestimates the value and role of self-interest and partisanship in the political arena. For this reason, deliberative democracy has been accused of (i) lacking any capacity for guidance in real politics (practical critique), (ii) misrepresenting the very nature of politics (ontological critique) and (iii) excluding the least advantaged and their perspectives from the political realm (normative critique). Should these critiques lead to a revision of the deliberative ideal? And if so, along which lines?

This workshop aims to explore the role that interests and partisanship should play in deliberative democracy. Papers discussing these issues in the light of specific case studies (e.g., international, political, and industrial negotiations) are especially welcome.

The following is a representative (and non-exhaustive) list of topics of discussion:

• Deliberative constraints: if self-interest is to be included within the scope of democratic deliberation, should we talk of ‘deliberative bargains’? Which values and criteria should constrain these forms of deliberation?
• Object and site of deliberation: can interests and partisanship play a role in deliberation over any possible topic? Or any possible level (constitutional, legislative, etc.)? Or should they be limited to specific sites and topics?
• Agents of deliberation: Who are the proper agents in a deliberative bargaining? Which forms of partisanship and political mobilization are compatible with, or should be encouraged by, the ideal of deliberative democracy?

Those who are interested in participating in the workshop are invited to send a short abstract (300-500 words) to Enrico Biale (enrico.biale@unipmn.it) or Valeria Ottonelli (vottonel@nous.unige.it) by the 1st of June 2011.

Further information on the Mancept Workshops can be found at http://manceptworkshops.wordpress.com/.

Workshops in Political Theory
Seventh Annual Conference
Manchester Metropolitan University
1-3 September 2010

DEMOCRATIC PUBLIC REASON IN PRACTICE

Convenors:
Enrico Biale (University of Milano-Bicocca and University of Louvain)
Valeria Ottonelli (University of Genova)

What constraints and requirements should democratic public reason meet
in order to be both practically viable and normatively appealing?

Democratic public reason is subject to feasibility constraints. Some of
them are also common to non-democratic models of decision-making, like
the existence of time limits on the decision process and other material
and institutional restrictions on the actual implementation of the
choices to be made. Other constraints on the feasibility of democratic
public reason are peculiar to it, like those pertaining to the actual
knowledge, competence and engagement in politics that can be
realistically expected from the citizens of a democratic polity, and
those relating to the issues that members of a democratic society can
reasonably debate on.
At the same time, democratic public reason needs to respond to normative
requirements and ideals, like publicity and transparency in the
decision-making processes, respect for the rules of correct reasoning,
such as consistency and integrity, the rejection of status quo and
ideological biases, and the search for a sharable basis on which to
ground the debate.

This workshop aims to further explore this tension between the ideal and
the practice of democratic public reason, by addressing the underlying
theoretical and normative issues and by testing the answers that can be
offered to them through the analysis and discussion of case studies.
Papers analysing the tension within specific areas of application of the
ideal of democratic public reason (health care, social justice,
fundamental liberties) are especially welcome.

Those who wish to participate in the workshop are invited to send a 500
word abstract to vottonel@nous.unige.it by the 31st of May 2010.

Additional information about the venue and the workshop can be found at
http://www.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/politicaltheory.