A new special issue of the Journal of Deliberative Democracy is out now. A star line up of scholars considers the arguments of Christina Lafont’s new book Democracy without Shortcuts: A Participatory Conception of Deliberative Democracy discussing topics such as minipublics, assemblies, blind deference, everyday publics and several others in the fields of public participation and deliberative democracy. Christina Lafont responds. Contents follow.

CONTENTS

Democracy without Shortcuts: Introduction to the Special Issue
Nicole Curato,  Julien Vrydagh,  André Bächtiger, University of Canberra,Vrije Universiteit Brussels, University of Stuttgart

Commentary on, Cristina Lafont, Democracy Without Shortcuts
Jürgen Habermas, University of Frankfurt

A Citizen-Centered Theory
Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University

Between Full Endorsement and Blind Deference
Robert E. Goodin, Australian National University

Towards a More Robust, but Limited and Contingent Defence of the Political Uses of Deliberative Minipublics
André Bächtiger,  Saskia Goldberg University of Stuttgart

It’s Not Just the Taking Part that Counts: ‘Like Me’ Perceptions Connect the Wider Public to Minipublics
James Pow,  Lisa van Dijk,  Sofie Marien, Queens University Belfast, KU Leuven, KU Leuven

The Derailed Promise of a Participatory Minipublic: The Citizens’ Assembly Bill in Flanders
Ronald Van Crombrugge, KU Leuven

Citizens Without Robes: On the Deliberative Potential of Everyday Politics
Simone Chambers, University of California, Irvine

Participatory Deliberative Democracy in Complex Mass Societies
Mark E. Warren, University of British Columbia

Another Way for Deepening Democracy Without Shortcuts
Tetsuki Tamura, Nagoya University

Against Anti-Democratic Shortcuts: A Few Replies to Critics
Cristina Lafont, Northwestern University