Deliberative democracy in theory and practice

The paper analyses the goals associated with the weak and strong version of deliberative democracy (DD), preconditions for sound deliberation in general and obstacles against its wider application. On the basis of the analysis of arguments we found that scepticism about a strong version of DD is based on the underestimation of the quality of deliberation in the general public. By contrast we argue that the most important condition for acceptable resolution is the willingness of the elite to engage in a dialogue with the public. In conclusion it is suggested how to study deliberation as a special form of communication.