133 S. 36th Street, Room 250 (The Forum) Map / Accessibility
Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics
Free and Open to the Public / Food Provided
Co-sponsored with The Penn Program on Regulation, Penn Law, and Penn Political Science

Attendees are encouraged to read Prof. Fishkin's Paper, available here.

DEMOCRACY REQUIRES A CONNECTION TO THE “WILL OF THE PEOPLE.” How is that possible in a world of “fake news,” relentless advocacy, partisan polarization and efforts at public manipulation? “Deliberative Polling” is a research program that applies citizen deliberation in depth with credible random samples to policy contexts where their conclusions can make a difference. This talk will draw on examples  from more than 100 cases of Deliberative Polls in 29 countries. What are the criteria for evaluating these projects? What policy impact do they have? What are the ingredients for successful implementation? Some notable cases include the US (“America in One Room”)  Mongolia (where there is now a law requiring Deliberative Polling for constitutional amendments), Texas (where the use of Deliberative Polling led directly to dramatic investments in renewable energy), South Korea (which recently used the process to make the final decision on the construction of two nuclear reactors) and Iceland (where the process was used in 2019 as an input by the government for constitutional reform).

JAMES S. FISHKIN holds the Janet M. Peck Chair in International Communication at Stanford University where he is Professor of Communication, Professor of Political Science (by courtesy) and Director of the Center for Deliberative Democracy. He is the author of Democracy When the People Are Thinking (Oxford 2018), When the People Speak (Oxford 2009), Deliberation Day (Yale 2004 with Bruce Ackerman) and Democracy and Deliberation (Yale 1991).