READ WHY IT MAKES SENSE TO GIVE JOE AND JANE LUNCHPAIL MORE POLITICAL POWER.
 

"Future Search Conferences" are a well tested method to get disparate stakeholders together and deliberate on issues of concern to the community.
 

The Deliberative Democracy Consortium, "a network of researchers and practitioners working together to strengthen the field of deliberative democracy."
 

A Stanford University site, "devoted to research about democracy and public opinion obtained through Deliberative Polling."
 

A very readable article on the subject by a staff writer at the Dallas Morning News.
 

This page focuses on the practical barriers and opportunities for deliberative democracy (from the University of Maryland).
 

A little bit about the related matter of deliberative polling (from the University of Texas).
 

READ WHY BLOGS (WEB-LOGS) AND OTHER HIGH TECH STUFF CAN SOMETIMES WORK AGAINST DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY.
 

Actual examples of deliberative democracy from around the world (from Auburn University in Alabama).
 

A mind-blowing miracle occurred in the Canadian province of British Columbia, when a random sample of citizens were allowed to deliberate and recommend what sort of electoral system the province should get. A follow-up referendum by the whole citizenry gets to seal the deal.
 

A lengthy examination of deliberative democracy, focusing on budgetary issues (from Harvard University).
 

A (very) short description of a Canadian example (from Macleans Magazine).
 

A HUGE number of links about deliberative democracy and related institutions.
 

An extensive site on the topic of "public journalism", which is journalism devoted to facilitating citizen engagement in the political arena.
 

Public Journalism is also often known as "civic journalism". This site is from the Pew Center for Civic Journalism.
 

One more reason why Deliberative Democracy and Communitarianism are so important.
(taken from p. 138 of The Empty Tank)
 
"There is another category of attendee [at an energy conference that Jeremy Leggett attended in 2005], one that is much on my mind as I think about the coming great global energy crisis...If there is mileage in this business of the oil peak, [the neo-nazi] thinking must go, the markets will topple, recession will turn into depression, the unemployment queues will explode. There will be armies of seriously disaffected people. The fertile breeding ground of Nazism, last seen in the 1930's, will once again be with us: playgrounds for any sick thug with a working knowledge of the politics of power."