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Please join us for a FAD Research Seminar Series hosted by the N&MRCDate: Monday 17 May 2021Time: 1:30pm-2:30pmLocation: 1A21 & ZoomPresenter Dr Nicole Curato Title ‘Thank you for sharing’: Overcoming Disinformation through Democratic Deliberation Abstract There is a dynamic global community of stakeholders working towards addressing the challenges posed by disinformation, especially during elections. Journalists have launched fact check initiatives. Donors continue to invest in media literacy programmes. Tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter are strengthening their content moderation practices.  These initiatives, while valuable, overlook the voices of ordinary citizens. How do citizens characterise the problem of ‘fake news’ during elections? Do they find disinformation a serious challenge to electoral integrity? Does disinformation offer a greater threat than the longstanding issues of electoral fraud, disenfranchisement, and threats of violence? What can we learn from the collective wisdom of ordinary citizens? To answer these questions, our research team conducted a three-day deliberative forum on disinformation in the Philippines – a country that Facebook considered to be the ‘patient zero’ of the global disinformation epidemic. Twenty-six randomly selected Filipinos from all over the country came together to learn about disinformation.  They deliberated on the dangers created by the spread of ‘fake news,’ answering questions of who should be held accountable for the production of disinformation and who should safeguard social media from its harms. Participants were then asked to generate collective recommendations for stakeholders leading campaigns against disinformation.  Findings of the study reveal that ordinary citizens view disinformation as closely linked to structural issues of the role of money in politics and the precarity of economic labour in a middle-income country’s gig economy.  The presentation concludes by making a call to shift the centre of gravity in scholarship of disinformation. Disinformation studies remain largely shaped by the experiences of the Global North even though many of the disinformation innovations (as well as their remedies) are unfolding in the Global South. The presentation seeks to present an alternative account of disinformation grounded on the lived experiences of disinformation producers and ordinary citizens in disinformation ‘hotspots’ around the world.  Biography Nicole Curato is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Her work examines how democracy can take root in communities recovering from the trauma of disasters, armed conflict, and urban crime. She is the author of the prize-winning Democracy in a Time of Misery: From Spectacular Tragedy to Deliberative Action (2019, Oxford University Press) and the editor of the Journal of Deliberative Democracy.  

Please join us for our first presentation in the FAD Seminar Series – hosted by the News & Media Research Centre and the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance. Date: Monday 21 March 2022Time: 12:30pm-1:30pmLocation: Online - email nmrc@canberra.edu.au for the link

Abstract:Violent extremism threatens human life and safety. Often overlooked is how violent extremists endanger the public sphere. We develop the concept of ‘democratic resilience’ drawing on the theory of deliberative democracy, and novel empirical research on countering violent extremism (CVE) in Australia, to analyse how public spheres respond to violent extremism. A democratically resilient public sphere is defined by its capacity to sustain integrative and tolerant public discourse when subjected to external shocks. This research furthers our understanding of how violent extremism affects the public sphere, and what matters in promoting a democratically resilient response. Empirically, the research draws on document analysis of CVE policies and programs as well as semi-structured interviews conducted with actors involved in developing and/or implementing them in New South Wales, Australia. Bio: Jordan McSwiney is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. His research focuses on the far right, with a particular interest in the organisation of far-right parties and movements, and their use of social media. His work has been published in Information, Communication & Society, New Media & Society, and Patterns of Prejudice.

A part of our seminar series, the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance is inviting you to the following event- Seminar- In Conversation with Professor Megan Davis- Uluru Statement from the HeartTuesday, 13th September 2022, 11 am (AEDT)Zoom link- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7220752429"Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation from First Nations to “walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future”. It was issued to the Australian people in May 2017 following almost two years of work. The Uluru Statement calls for structural reform including constitutional change. Structural reform means establishing a new relationship between First Nations and the Australian nation based on justice and self-determination where Indigenous cultures and peoples can flourish, and we all move forward."Source- https://ulurustatement.org/education/faqs/This seminar will delve in to the deliberative processes behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart with Professor Megan Davis, the Co-Chair of the Uluru Dialogue. Speaker Bio: Professor Megan Davis is the Pro Vice-Chancellor Society (PVCS) at UNSW Sydney. Professor Davis is also the Balnaves Chair of Constitutional Law, a Professor of Law and Director of the Indigenous Law Centre UNSW Law. She is a Cobble Cobble woman of the Barunggam Nation and a renowned constitutional lawyer and public law expert, focusing on advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her work extends internationally, through roles at the United Nations, focusing on global Indigenous rights. In this capacity, she was elected by the UN Human Rights Council to the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples based in Geneva in 2017 and again in 2019 (2019-2022) and served previously as an expert member and Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, UN Headquarters in New York (2011-2016). She is currently the Chair of the Expert Mechanism. Prof Davis is an Acting Commissioner of the NSW Land and Environment Court, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences. She is also a member of the Australian Rugby League Commissioner.We hope to see you there!

Experts on democracy and sustainability share their insights, from both research and practice perspectivesAbout this eventDespite the urgency and scale of global environmental threats, many democratic states are struggling to act swiftly on problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss. At the same time, the resurgence of authoritarianism in many countries – often with an anti-environmental streak – is seen by many as threatening progress towards sustainability.In this webinar, a panel of researchers and practitioners will discuss prospects and pitfalls for democratising sustainability transformations in light of current developments in global politics. The session builds on findings from a recent review of research on the nexus between democracy and sustainability published in the Earth System Governance journal.The panel will commence with an overview of the article by Jonathan Pickering (University of Canberra) and a critical commentary by Julia Tschersich (Utrecht University), followed by reflections from two practitioners: Melani Gunathilaka (Climate Action Now Sri Lanka) and Rafael Jimenez Aybar (Westminster Foundation for Democracy). The panel will be moderated by Wendy Conway-Lamb (CDDGG, University of Canberra)The webinar is co-convened by the Earth System Governance Project’s Working Group on Democracy and the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra, and forms part of each network’s regular speaker/seminar series.

The event will be followed by light refreshments at Building 24, University of Canberra.Book Abstract - Complementary Democracy: The Art of Deliberative ListeningElected governments are suffering from a legitimacy crisis. Legislatures are increasingly seen as unrepresentative. But there is a cure. It is to use the many different opportunities that exist alongside elections. In this book some of the world’s leading experts and rising stars show how representative democracy can be complemented by a multitude of forms of direct engagement. These include referendums, popular votes, the recall, citizens’ juries, eDemocracy, . These institutions are examples of what the authors call Complementary Democracy. Combining the worlds of practice and theory come together, the book explains – and occasionally critiques – these complements to representative democracy. At a time when Australia faces a cross road, this book is an invaluable starting point for anyone who wants to know more about the new directions of democratic governance, and hopes to inspire those who seek to build stronger democracies.Author and SpeakerMatt Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science at Coventry, and a visiting Professor at ANU College of Law. The author of several books on referendums and democratic government, including, Democracy on Demand (Manchester University Press, 2021) and Referendums and Ethic Conflict (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2nd Edition, 2022), he is currently engaged in the new field of 'neuropolitics' and researches the intersection between deliberative democracy and brain science. Editor-in-chief of The European Political Science Review, Matt earned his doctorate at Oxford University and is a frequent contributor to the BBC World Service. 

New Books in Democracy: The Future of Self-Governing, Thriving DemocraciesThis book offers a new approach for the future of democracy by advocating to give citizens the power to deliberate and to decide how to govern themselves.Innovatively building on and integrating components of representative, deliberative and participatory theories of democracy with empirical findings, the book provides practices and procedures that support communities of all sizes to develop their own visions of democracy. It revitalizes and reinfuses the ‘democratic spirit’ going back to the roots of democracy as an endeavour by, with and for the people, and should inspire us in our search for the democracy we want to live in.In this book launch, Brigitte Geißel will talk to Hans Asenbaum about the book’s backstory, how her thinking about democratic innovations has changed over the years that led her to the book’s core arguments, and where she thinks the field is headed given the persistent challenges to democratic practices around the world.The book is available open access and may be downloaded for free here.This event is co-hosted by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra and the Democratic Innovations Research Unit at the Goethe University.About the speakerProf. Dr. Brigitte Geißel, Goethe University Frankfurt a.M., is Professor of Political Science/ Political Sociology and Head of the Research Unit ‘Democratic Innovations’. She has received a number of awards for her studies on democracy and democratic innovations , including a Democracy Fellowship from Harvard University‘s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, a Senior Fellowship from the Alfried Krupp Foundation and a Marie-Curie-Fellowship from the European Commission.

A public conversation and networking event featuring Prof Jennifer Stromer-Galley It was a gross distortion of truth, yet thousands of rioters attacked the US Capitol on the 6th of January 2021 believing Donald Trump’s big lie: that he had been robbed of the presidency. This lie not only threatened lives and property in the US Capitol but also delegitimized democratic processes and institutions, thereby fundamentally destabilizing what has long been heralded as one of the most stable democracies in the world. Our distinguished guest speaker in this public event is Professor Jennifer Stromer-Galley, Senior Associate Dean in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University (USA) and fomer President of the Association of Internet Researchers. She will present findings from her latest research and take part in a conversation with academics and policy experts specialising in topics including right-wing extremism, disinformation in Australia and the Pacific, truth in electoral politics, and public deliberation. 

The Filter in Our (?) Heads: Digital Media and PolarisationClimate change, Brexit, Trump, COVID, Ukraine: there is hardly a major topic in contemporary public debate online that does not attract heated discussion, entrenched partisanship, widespread misinformation, and conspiracy theorists. Rational, evidence-based contributions often fail to cut through, while affective polarisation is prevalent, and difficult to overcome.The facile, simplistic view of these developments is that digital and social media have disrupted the traditional public sphere, enveloped us all in ideologically homogenous ‘echo chambers’ and ‘filter bubbles’, and thereby ushered in the post-truth age – but such technologically determinist explanations have been rightly debunked for failing to account for the full complexity of the present moment in public communication. Hyperpartisans and conspiracy theorists, for instance, are abundantly aware of what their opponents think and say, but instinctively, reflexively reject those views: if there is a filter, it is located in their (and equally perhaps in our) heads, not their information feeds. Similarly, if global digital media platforms were predominantly to blame for the decline of societal cohesion and consensus, why are countries like the US considerably more deeply affected while other democracies remain considerably more resilient?While these deep divisions are often misdiagnosed as evidence of ‘echo chambers’ and ‘filter bubbles’, then, they actually point to pernicious dysfunction at a discursive level: they are evidence of deeply entrenched polarisation and hyperpartisanship. Yet digital media studies have yet to develop a full repertoire of conceptual and methodological approaches for the analysis and assessment of such phenomena. Such approaches need to be able to distinguish between benign forms of ideological agonism and partisanship and destructive, entrenched polarisation; and they need to recognise diverse ideological, issue-based, interpretive, and affective qualities in polarised discourse. This evidence is critical to enabling an urgently needed, robust defence of our society and democracy against the challenges of polarisation.This seminar will be chaired by Tariq Choucair and is co-hosted by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance and the News & Media Research Centre.About the speakerAxel Bruns is an ARC Laureate Fellow (2021-2026) and Professor at the Digital Media Research Centre at QUT.

Deliberative Democracy for Diabolical TimesDemocracy’s seemingly inexorable advance in the 1990s and 2000s induced many observers to forget that most states and empires throughout history have been inhospitable to democracy. What’s new about our bad times for democracy is that they implicate novel forms of public and political communication in a diabolical soundscape. Minimal standards of truth and integrity are routinely violated by successful elected leaders. Print, radio, and television operations can prosper by enraging niche audiences, moving them to extremes and acting as enablers of demagogues. It is easier than ever before for large numbers of people to express themselves politically, especially on social media, controlled by massive corporations with limited interest in the pathological aspects of the political space that they have inadvertently created. Authoritarian governments manipulate and exploit this space to foster division, sow chaos, bolster extremist candidates, and destabilise liberal democratic states. An overload of political expression makes it increasingly hard for citizens and policymakers alike to detect meaningful signals amidst the lies, noise, and disinformation.As a communication-centric approach, deliberative democracy ought to have plenty to say in response. Given the chance, citizens and publics can indeed avoid manipulation and polarization, reach well-reasoned positions, and join public discourse in deliberative systems that also involve the media, leaders, and activists. Here, a capacity to rethink democracy can begin (though not end) with the deliberative dispositions and practices that all societies already possess to some degree. The dispositions might include the openness that many people already have toward deliberative ideals such as listening carefully to the other side. The practices might include informal networks of political conversations; bridging rhetoric; constructive framing; integrative performances by political leaders; dialogical connections between citizens and politicians; deliberation in social movements and protests; and traditions of holding leaders to account. Innovations might then include crowdsourced judgments and citizen participation to inform algorithms, reflective deliberative spaces online and offline (including mini-publics), and listening practices in social movements. One way of thinking about all this is that it pits the entire contemporary program of deliberative democracy against diabolical developments. Alternatively, specific aspects of the soundscape can be targeted with more precise deliberative responses.This seminar will be chaired by Dr Adele Webb and is co-hosted by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance and the News & Media Research Centre.About the speakerJohn Dryzek was an ARC Laureate Fellow (2014-2020) and Professor at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra.

Future-Proofing the Public Sphere: Axel Bruns in conversation with John DryzekThe world’s most eminent scholars on digital media and deliberative democracy will offer their reflections on each other’s seminars and propose common lines of enquiry between digital media studies and deliberative democracy scholarship.This conversation will be moderated by Prof Selen Ercan and is co-hosted by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance and the News & Media Research Centre.Axel Bruns | 2nd May, The Filter in Our (?) Heads: Digital Media and Polarisation. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-filter-in-our-heads-digital-media-and-polarisation-tickets-522375879317John Dryzek | 9th May, Deliberative Democracy for Diabolical Times. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/deliberative-democracy-for-diabolical-times-tickets-522419439607About the speakersAxel Bruns is an ARC Laureate Fellow (2021-2026) and Professor at the Digital Media Research Centre at QUT.John Dryzek was an ARC Laureate Fellow (2014-2020) and Professor at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra.

Hosted by CDDGG, University of CanberraDate and time: Tue 2nd Jul 2024, 5:30 pm - 7:15 pm AESTRegister here: https://events.humanitix.com/book-launch-democracy-versus-diablo-in-the-usa-and-australiaYou are invited to a participatory book launch for André Bächtiger and John S. Dryzek, Deliberative Democracy for Diabolical Times: Confronting Populism, Extremism, Denial, and Authoritarianism.You will hear from one of the book’s authors (John Dryzek) as well as special guests Professor John Gastil from Pennsylvania State University and Associate Professor Caroline Fischer of the News and Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra.You will get an opportunity to discuss their points and deliberate your own ideas about the challenges facing democracy in Australia and the USA, and how best to confront them. There will also be a chance to meet and talk more informally.This book launch will be moderated by Keith Greaves from MosaicLab. 

One-Day Conference at the University of CanberraA free event curated by Geert Lovink (Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam) and Denise Thwaites (Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra)With lectures, presentations, performances and conversations led by Ella Barclay, Nicole Curato, Sophie Dumaresq, Caroline Fisher, Catherine Page Jeffery, Geert Lovink, David Nolan, Mathieu O'Neil, Phoebe Quinn, Melinda Rackham, Litia Roko, Erin Stapleton, Tyne Sumner, Denise Thwaites, Temple Uwalaka and Ashley Van den Heuvel.Date/Time: Thursday 21 November 2024, 10:00-18:30Location: Building 1 Level A Room 1A21, University of Canberra (NB Room 1a21 is accessed from the foyer joining Building 1 and Mizzuna café); A free event, registration is required. Register here.The full program is available here. Join us for an event that maps the depression, boredom and loneliness that feed (and are fed by) social media platforms. Beyond fake news, our platform dependencies, miseries, and anxieties are all too real. Many feel sadness about our collective inability to change - yet cannot imagine deleting social media accounts for fear of isolation. Platform Blues are an area of interest for multiple and varied forms of research, which intersect with our topic through critical enquiry into techno-feudalism, memes, online dating, doom scrolling, right-wing libertarian/conspiracy cultures and internet 'girl' theory. Alternative ways of community organizing provide glimpses of hope, as seen in protest and solidarity movements, such as those addressing climate action, #metoo, and the ongoing war in Gaza. Platform Blues in Australia exist, but neither strict regulation nor the melancholic dream of going offline will solve it. How can our phones become a tool of connection again? Resisting the distractions of AI eye candy, let's address the reality of our tech-induced mental poverty. This gathering of bodies and souls will coincide with the one-month residency of Dutch media theorist and internet critic, Geert Lovink, at the University of Canberra. Presented by the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research, The Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance and the News and Media Research Centre (all University of Canberra) and the Institute of Network Cultures (Amsterdam). Supported by the University of Canberra as part of its Distinguished Visiting Fellow Program.For questions and accessibility requests, please contact: cccr@canberra.edu.au.

Join us for our next seminar in our series, Strengthening Democracy: A Research-Practice Exchange:In democratic practice, does research matter? Tuesday 1 April, 12pm- 1pmUniversity of Canberra, Building 24, Fishbowl and Online Democracy is not just an ideal but a practical undertaking that requires continuous effort, innovation, and reflection to address emerging challenges effectively. Research on democracy is vibrant and expanding, offering valuable insights into strengthening democratic processes, enhancing citizen engagement, and addressing threats to democracy. But how do these insights move beyond academic circles and translate into real-world practice? Where do policymakers and practitioners turn when seeking solutions to complex democratic challenges?This seminar will examine the challenges and opportunities of translating research into action, spotlighting current efforts by the Australian government to strengthen democracy alongside the latest developments in democracy research. Alex Fischer (Department of Home Affairs) and Max Grömping (Griffith University) will engage in a conversation on bridging the gap between knowledge and practice in democratic governance.Dr Alex Fischer is Senior Advisor to the Department of Home Affairs Office of Community Cohesion and member of the Dusseldorp Forum. He is an interdisciplinary scholar and practitioner with expertise in global environmental security, social policy, and institutional design. His career has pursued social impact through roles in government, academia, social enterprises, civil society and philanthropy. As a member of the Australia Resilient Democracy Research and Data Network, he seeks to help translate novel research and insights into actionable ideas which inform policy and enable democratic innovators.Dr Max Grömping is Senior Lecturer in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University. He studies the dynamics of policy lobbying and advocacy under different political regimes, and how information disorder affects citizens’ trust in political institutions. He is currently co-leading two Australian Research Council-funded Discovery Projects on Public Interest Advocacy in Australian Policymaking, and on Mapping & Harnessing Public Mistrust. He is also Associate Editor of the journal Democratization, and an invited affiliate of the International Panel on the Information Environment.The seminar will be moderated by Prof Selen Ercan, Director of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra.

Join us for our next seminar in our series, Strengthening Democracy: A Research-Practice Exchange:In democratic practice, does research matter? Tuesday 1 April, 12pm- 1pmUniversity of Canberra, Building 24, Fishbowl and Online Democracy is not just an ideal but a practical undertaking that requires continuous effort, innovation, and reflection to address emerging challenges effectively. Research on democracy is vibrant and expanding, offering valuable insights into strengthening democratic processes, enhancing citizen engagement, and addressing threats to democracy. But how do these insights move beyond academic circles and translate into real-world practice? Where do policymakers and practitioners turn when seeking solutions to complex democratic challenges?This seminar will examine the challenges and opportunities of translating research into action, spotlighting current efforts by the Australian government to strengthen democracy alongside the latest developments in democracy research. Alex Fischer (Department of Home Affairs) and Max Grömping (Griffith University) will engage in a conversation on bridging the gap between knowledge and practice in democratic governance.Dr Alex Fischer is Senior Advisor to the Department of Home Affairs Office of Community Cohesion and member of the Dusseldorp Forum. He is an interdisciplinary scholar and practitioner with expertise in global environmental security, social policy, and institutional design. His career has pursued social impact through roles in government, academia, social enterprises, civil society and philanthropy. As a member of the Australia Resilient Democracy Research and Data Network, he seeks to help translate novel research and insights into actionable ideas which inform policy and enable democratic innovators.Dr Max Grömping is Senior Lecturer in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University. He studies the dynamics of policy lobbying and advocacy under different political regimes, and how information disorder affects citizens’ trust in political institutions. He is currently co-leading two Australian Research Council-funded Discovery Projects on Public Interest Advocacy in Australian Policymaking, and on Mapping & Harnessing Public Mistrust. He is also Associate Editor of the journal Democratization, and an invited affiliate of the International Panel on the Information Environment.The seminar will be moderated by Prof Selen Ercan, Director of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra.

AI is becoming an ever-present force in our lives, shaping how we access information, engage in discussions, and even participate in democracy. New AI tools make democratic participation more accessible through AI facilitation and live translation. But it may also undermine democracy by inhibit critical thinking skills or eroding public trust through deepfakes. This seminar brings together leading international academics and practitioners to discuss which AI tools can enhance democracy, how AI can be democratically governed and how our identities reshaped through the everyday use of AI. Join us for a dynamic exchange of ideas on the promises and challenges of AI in shaping the democracies of tomorrow.Reema Patel directs Elgon Social, as an independent researcher and practitioner with expertise in deliberative and participatory approaches. She currently works on the Digital Good Network, Public Voices in AI, and the Global Climate Citizens Assembly led by Iswe Foundation. She is also an EDI associate to the Wellcome Trust, advising them on the development and implementation of their equity framework. Dr James Muldoon is an Associate Professor in Management at the Essex Business School, a Research Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute and Head of Digital Research at the Autonomy think tank. His research examines how modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital platforms can create public value and serve the common good. It explores how notions of freedom, power and democracy need to be rethought in a digital age and what we can do to harness the positive potential of new technology.The seminar will be moderated by Dr Hans Asenbaum, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra.

Effective community engagement starts with the right tools and approaches—and deliberation offers both. The Deliberative Democracy in Action Masterclasses offer a hands-on introduction to the principles and tools of deliberative engagement—an evidence-based approach that leads to more inclusive, constructive, and legitimate outcomes.Whether you're designing consultations, facilitating conversations, or shaping policy, these masterclasses will equip you with practical strategies to engage communities in ways that build trust and deliver impact. Through these sessions, you'll learn how to:Improve the quality of public engagement by creating spaces where participants feel heard, respected, and empowered to contribute.Broaden the reach of public engagement by designing inclusive processes that engage people from all walks of life—not just the usual voices.Balance diverse perspectives by exploring the trade-offs between competing values and interests.Bridge divisions and disagreements through meaningful dialogue and active listening.Drawing from real-world examples in Australia and around the world, the sessions explore fresh, practical approaches to deliberative engagement.Hosted by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance — a world leader in the study of public participation — this series brings together expert thinkers and practitioners who are helping to reshape democracy for the better. You’ll also have the chance to connect with some of Australia’s leading experts in deliberative engagement and become part of our growing network of practitioners working to make public engagement more meaningful and effective. Wednesday 14 May: RepresentationExplores how democratic ideals such as inclusion and participation are realised in deliberative process. This includes how experts are involved in processes and examines strategies to enhance representation in various contexts such as where there are inherent power inequities.  Participants will master:The different ways to consider representation in deliberative processes and how to design processes that include varied perspectives.An understanding of how inequalities impact deliberation and tools for addressing disparities.How to consider the perspectives of those that cannot participate such as future generations or non-humans.How to design methods that effectively engage experts and apply their knowledge to the deliberative process.Guest speakers – to be announced soon! Thursday 15 May: ImpactExplores how deliberative practices are connected to the wider institutional and political contexts, and the democratic system overall.  This includes an examination of the consequentiality of practices and factors that affect their impact.Participants will master:An understanding of how democratic innovations can be effectively positioned within a policy-making context, systems of governance and existing public participation approaches.An ability to identify varied pathways for impact and how to strategically design deliberative processes that achieve this impact.An understanding of the determinants that influence the legitimacy conferred on deliberative processes, and strategies for how to strengthen legitimacy.Guest speakers – to be announced soon!Friday 16 May: ResilienceExplores how deliberative practices can contribute to building democratic resilience. It will consider deliberation in contexts where there are entrenched special interests, deep power inequalities, or divergent views on possible solutions to complex issues.  This masterclass builds an understanding of both the opportunities and limitations for deliberation to break impasses and generate more broadly accepted policy outputs.   Participants will master:A critical understanding of how deliberation can mitigate extremist threats in contexts where there is deep polarisation, mistrust or disinformation.An ability to design processes that appropriately consider relevant social movement actors and stakeholders.A toolkit of deliberative approaches and design choices that can mitigate division and entrenched views.Guest speakers – to be announced soon!RegistrationParticipants can enrol in each masterclass separately if they are only interested in one or two topics. Alternatively, the masterclasses will run on three consecutive days allowing participants to enrol in all three as an intensive. $385 (incl. GST) per day$990 (incl. GST)  for all three masterclasses Register for:Representation (single day) - Register hereImpact (single day) - Register hereResilience (single day) - Register hereAll three masterclasses - Register hereRegistration includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. CertificateParticipants will be provided a participation certificate from the Centre of Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance.

Expanding the Demos: How Do Nonhumans Have Political Agency? is a thought-provoking seminar exploring the frontiers of political participation beyond the human. This session will delve into urgent and imaginative questions: Can animals, plants, rivers and other nonhuman entities participate in democratic life? How might they express preferences, needs or forms of agency? And how can facilitation practices evolve to accommodate more-than-human voices? Through interdisciplinary dialogue, the seminar invites a reimagining of the demos in an era of ecological entanglement. Moderated by Dr Lucy Parry, Research Associate, Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance. This event is online only. Register to get the Zoom link.

As democracies face multiple threats, from deepening polarisation and rising extremism to the spread of mis- and disinformation, the concept of democratic resilience has gained renewed urgency. Yet questions remain: What does democratic resilience truly entail? And how can it support broader efforts to renew democracy in the face of these challenges?This conference aims to deepen and expand the conversation around democratic resilience by bringing together an international community of scholars and practitioners. We invite contributions that explore innovative theoretical and empirical approaches as well as effective practical strategies for confronting the critical challenges facing democracies today. Topics of interest include--but are not limited to--declining trust in democratic institutions, the resurgence of far-right and anti-democratic actors, various forms of polarisation, violent extremism, and the role of political institutions, democratic innovations, civil society, social movements, and grassroots initiatives in advancing a more resilient democracy.We welcome theoretical, empirical, and practice-oriented papers that engage critically with the concepts of democratic resilience and democratic renewal, including how these are assessed and implemented across diverse contexts. Submissions should clearly identify the specific threat or challenge being addressed and demonstrate how the work contributes to current scholarship and debates on democratic resilience and/or innovation.Please submit an abstract of up to 200 words, along with a short author bio of up to 200 words by 8 August 2025 to Dr Emily Foley (emily.foley@canberra.edu.au).Successful applicants will be notified by 22 August 2025.

Get ready to dive deep into the messy world of public policy - it's all about embracing the chaos and finding beauty in complexity!We warmly invite you to a workshop organised by the University of Canberra’s Centre for Deliberative Democracy.The workshop seeks to preview and discuss the forthcoming book Life as Practice: Complexity, Entanglement, and Public Policy by Professor Hendrik Wagenaar (Adjunct, Centre for Deliberative Democracy, University of Canberra), and Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Solidarity (CeSCoS), University of Vienna, Austria?. We are delighted that Dr Severine van Bommel (Senior Lecturer, University of Queensland's School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability), with a life-long interest in social practices, has agreed to be the discussant.This workshop reframes policymaking as a set of lived practices and explores how complexity, material entanglement, and ethics shape the way policies are designed, implemented, and experienced.The workshop will be of particular interest to students and scholars of public policy, as well as policymakers, and practitioners seeking new ways of understanding and engaging with the messy realities of governance.Location & ProgrammeCentre for Deliberative Democracy, Building 11, Room 11B50, University Drive South, University of Canberra, ACT 2617, AustraliaTime: 10:00 – 14:00Please note, this is an in-person event.