Pratiche deliberative nelle democrazie occidentali e il fenomeno dell’«authoritarian deliberation» in Cina: tendenze opposte e ambiguità dei metodi deliberativi

Abstract

Deliberative practices in Western democracies and “authoritarian deliberation” in China: opposing trends and ambiguities of deliberative methods – In the context of the crisis of legitimacy of stabilized democracies beginning in the second half of the 20th century, new theorizing on the concepts of democracy and reflections on deliberative politics began to mature, providing fertile ground for those studies that today fall under the broad umbrella of deliberative democracy. However, deliberative tools have not only developed within democratic contexts. Indeed, “controlled” forms of political participation and deliberation have long found application in some authoritarian regimes. Among these, Chinese experiences are particularly significant. To indicate this phenomenon, doctrine has developed the concept of “authoritarian deliberation,” elaborated from a theoretical and conceptual distinction between democracy and deliberation.

Keywords: Deliberative democracy; Representative democracy; Citizens’ assemblies; Authoritarian deliberation; Participation