Deliberative Democracy Theory and Participatory Theories of Democracy
Deliberative democracy theory is the idea that citizens or their representatives participate in making decisions on the laws to be enacted. Participatory theories of democracy, on the other hand, are the idea that citizens participate directly in the decision making without representatives. According to Mutz (03), the two theories conflict with each other due to the nature of the citizens. She argues that the society has an extreme political culture which does not favor deliberation. In her opinion, people rarely engage in discussion on political matters attributed to the fact that communication is less since individuals turn to the internet to seek answers on issues surrounding them (Mutz 03).
The Limitations of Deliberative Democracy
She further argues that deliberation is limited by the fact that people are not exposed to conflicting viewpoints which makes them adopt participatory democracy since they can agree with what is being suggested (Mutz 04). People also lack the political knowledge to engage in deliberations which leave them with no choice but to adapt participatory theories. In as much as most societies try to use the two theories combined, participatory theories suppress the deliberative theories. Moreover, while participatory democracy theories gear towards establishing common ground, deliberative democracy models create awareness of previously overlooked things. Nevertheless, participatory and deliberative theories provide clear description or understanding of issues, hence should both the embraced. Unfortunately, this does not happen in most political matters since most citizens have limited knowledge on the political issues, therefore, disregarding the need for deliberation.
The Need for Essential Knowledge in Societies
In essence, there is need to provide essential knowledge in the societies to allow effective deliberation on issues affecting community members. It is unfortunate that the people with political power do not encourage citizens to engage in deliberations which further limit the use of deliberative democracy theories. They have created a culture of participatory democracy when it comes to political matters that people are no longer concerned about deliberation.
Works Cited
Mutz, Diana C. Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative Versus Participatory Democracy. Cambridge [etc.: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.
