CfP: Democrazia, partecipazione e deliberazione

Democracy, participation and deliberation

Italian Journal: Partecipazione e conflitto

Democracy, participation and deliberation
In contexts characterized by political disaffection and post-democratic governance, civil society and, more recently, institutional actors have developed a growing attention to the opening of new deliberative and participatory spaces. The interest towards the creation of new opportunities of participation appears increasingly important as the deliberative dimension of liberal democracy is weakened by the transformation of parties' functions and the diminished role of the legislative assemblies.
Contemporary deliberative theory proposes either the revitalization of deliberation in the fluid, open and unstructured space of the public sphere, and the creation of new institutional deliberative arenas opened to the direct participation of ordinary citizens and/or stakeholders. On theoretical level informal and institutionalized deliberative dimensions may be imagined as complementary, but in practices tensions and contradictions concerning political inclusion, efficacy and legitimacy often emerge.
The interest in deliberative democracy is also fostered by the opportunities provided by new digital media (particularly Internet), which enable a revitalization of public sphere and new channels between citizens and institutions.
This issue of "Partecipazione e Conflitto" aims to collect empirical contributions focused on results, opportunities and problems emerging from different deliberative practices (i.e. managed by political institutions or enacted by the civil society), as well as the interactions between different political actors and dimensions of deliberation, informal and institutional, micro and macro, online and offline.

Editors:
Anna Carola Freschi (University of Bergamo) anna.freschi@unibg.it
Luca Raffini (University of Bergamo) luca.raffini@unibg.it

Article (in .rtf or .pdf) can be submitted in Italian, English, French and Spanish. Please include your name, address, e-mail, and a short abstract in English.

Deadline: 1/10/2009.

About the Journal
Partecipazione e conflitto is a new Italian journal devoted to the issues of political and social participation. It is a project managed by an Editorial Board of young Italian accademic researchers, based in the North, Center and South of Italy. 
Scientific Committee: Bianca Beccalli (University of Milano); Roberto Biorcio (University of Milano-Bicocca); Donatella della Porta (Istituto Universitario Europeo); Luigi Pellizzoni (University ofi Trieste) .

Peer Review Policy: Partecipazione e Conflitto adheres to a standard double-blind peer review process. Each article submitted will be evaluated by Editors and Editorial Board. If congruent with the object of the call for paper, it will be reviewed by three anonymous scholars. The result of the peer review process can be 1) Acceptance; 2) Published with revision; 3) Revision and resubmission; 4) Rejection.

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