Deliberative practices have gained momentum around the world over the last two decades. They started being used at local, regional, and national level to provide ordinary people access to the decision-making process, to foster communication, to educate and inform the citizenry, and to increase the legitimacy of policies and decisions. These is a relevant avenue, especially in the context of growing alienation from politics, including disaffection with representative democracy and politicians. This relatively swift development leaves several questions unanswered such as:

• what practices of deliberation are popular
• how deliberative practices evolved over time
• what drives the use / demand for deliberative practices
• how can deliberative practices produce different impacts in society or politics
• how are different groups included in deliberative practices
• what are the appropriate institutional settings to ensure the appropriate functioning of deliberation or
• how can political institutions enhance the effectiveness of deliberation.

This conference aims to bring together works addressing, but not limited to, any of these points. The event will gather a group of 15 researchers working on these topics to facilitate the knowledge sharing and a better understanding of current events. The organizers strive for a balance between established academics and early career scholars (including PhD candidates). We encourage theoretical, empirical or methodological papers related to the topic of the conference.

Depending on the quality, and scope of works, the organizers have in mind either a special issue in an international peer-reviewed journal or an edited volume with a high-profile publisher.

Venue, application procedure and costs

This is an in-person event. Authors should fill in the application form (available here) until 15 July 2024 (applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed). There is no conference fee. The organizers will cover the travel costs, accommodation and meals for the entire duration of the conference. In case of co-authored works, the costs for one author will be covered.