ABSTRACT
In a deliberative mini-public, a representative group of citizens engage in moderated small-group discussions on a particular political issue. Because of their design features, mini-publics may be regarded as democratic innovations, i.e. institutions that are specifically designed to increase and deepen citizen participation (Smith 2009: 1). The key defining aspects of mini-publics are representativeness and deliberativeness. Representativeness of participants is typically ensured through the use of a random mechanism in the recruitment process; moreover, participants are usually given a financial compensation for their efforts. Deliberativeness is aimed for through facilitated small-group discussions. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze how these features are realized in current practices of mini-publics and how mini-publics are used in various political contexts. Moreover, I will review the recent criticism of mini-publics by deliberative democrats and outline new, alternative roles of mini-publics in various contexts of political decision-making.
