Deliberative democracy in practice – the operation of the British organization Involve

Abstract

Deliberative democracy is becoming the subject of widespread discussion more, and more often, not only in science, but also in political practice. In many countries, people involved in the functioning of civil society demand that its assumptions be implemented. Numerous non-governmental organizations promote the ideas of deliberative democracy and deal with actually placing them in the framework of public life. One of such organizations is the British foundation Involve. The area of its activity includes not only spreading knowledge and providing counseling in the field of deliberation, but also active participation in embracing the largest initiatives of this type (such as, for example, citizens’ assemblies). The aim of this article is to briefly present the basic activities of Involve from recent years and to indicate issues such as the way of understanding deliberative democracy by this type of organization, the practical implementation of its postulates, and the effects of actions taken. The article is intended to be a short introduction to further considerations on the reflection of the theoretical assumptions of deliberative democracy in the realities of the democratic political scene, based on the analysis of organizations for which this is the basic area of operation.