Can Deliberation Cure the
Ills of Democracy?
ON SALE NOW
In our modern world of propaganda, social media enclaves, misinformation, and manipulation, the connection between 'the will of the people' and political action has broken down, political divisions are becoming increasingly intractable, and democracies are growing ever more ungovernable. Democracy is in crisis.
Praise for Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?
"In this excellent book, James Fishkin brilliantly illuminates the essence of what democracy is and what it needs to survive. At this moment in world history, we are all lucky to have the benefit of Fishkin's wisdom." –Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War
"Drawing on decades of pioneering research and real-world application, Fishkin reveals how inclusive deliberation builds trust, bridges divides, and revitalizes civic engagement. This is more than a vision; it's a compelling roadmap for how guided, balanced dialogue can unlock collective wisdom, reimagine our institutions, and restore public faith in a shared future." –Audrey Tang, Taiwan's First Digital Minister
"Terrific, valuable, inspired, and inspiring. A massive contribution to democratic theory and democratic practice." –Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University, and author of Climate Justice
"No scholar has more consistently offered us hope about a better way to realize the potential of democracy. This book crystallizes a career of critical work and maps a strategy for rediscovering what democracy could be. " –Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School
"Despite the worldwide rise of demagogic dictatorship, Fishkin's book offers a realistic pathway to the reinvigoration of democratic life in the twenty-first century. As he shows, constitutional reform in a host of countries has already been profoundly shaped by the concrete studies of citizen deliberation organized by Stanford under his leadership. Even more importantly, he marks out the very different ways these studies can inspire future reform efforts to preserve the foundations of Enlightenment democracy against demagogic assault." –Bruce A. Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale University
"Urgent, timely, and essential reading for an era in which the democratic project seems to be stalled or backsliding." –Mark E. Warren, University of British Columbia and President of the American Political Science Association, 2023-2024
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James S. Fishkin is the author of Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy? (Oxford 2025) as well as Democracy When the People are Thinking (Oxford 2018) and other books. He holds the Janet M. Peck Chair in International Communication at Stanford University where he is Professor of Communication, Professor of Political Science (by courtesy), Senior Fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab. He works on deliberative democracy and his process of “Deliberative Polling” has been used for public consultation in more than 160 projects around the world.. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.