Deliberation, politics and society: unfolding consequences in diverse contexts

Despite the burgeoning literature about the use of deliberative practices around the world, it remains unclear whether deliberation provides avenues for different stakeholders including political parties, interest groups, and civil society organisations to make a real impact on politics and society. Moreover, we know little about how deliberation’s effectiveness differs in addressing problems in established democracies and transition countries. This special issue addresses these research gaps and aims to advance our knowledge about the importance of deliberative democracy and practices. The articles in this special issue go beyond the state of the art in three ways: they make theoretical contributions that challenge existing frameworks, formulate new analytical perspectives, and bring evidence to substantiate the multifaceted effects of deliberation on politics and society, both in democracies and transition countries.