The principle element of a democratic society is the belief held by its citizens that governance institutions are transparent, accountable and are influenced through stakeholder interests. In particular, confidence resides in a belief that representation models based on democratic elections have the capacity to aggregate the singular voices of the electorate into a colleCtive endeavour. The advancement of Democratic Dialogue Practices (OOPs) represents a move away from the exclusiveness of this electoral model through offering governments new opportuniti~s to engage with citizens through multiple forms of· facilitated dialogue. DDP specifically targets those least likely to engage within governance strategies aiming to ensure the inclusion of participants in a wide variety of transparent, accountable and inclusive dialogue practices. Central to the focus of this thesis is the facilitated practice of DDP and therein the dialogue of the small group discussion. The aim is to explore the existence of the 'Group Polarization Phenomenon' (GPP) and its implications for DDP and the promotion of a 'culture of democracy'.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:673835 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Dunwoody, George Mark |
| Publisher | Queen's University Belfast |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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