News and Events

Opinion: Deliberative democracy is just what politics needs Financial Times 8/2019 PDF
Measures such as citizens assemblies can combat rising polarisation.

John Dickerson discusses upcoming America in One Room Deliberative Poll Slate’s Political Gabfest 7/2019 MP3

What Happens When a Group of Strangers Spends a Day Debating Immigration? The New Yorker 7/2019 PDF
At the end of the event, more participants believed that undocumented immigrants should have legal options for staying and working in the country, that they should be able to pay in-state tuition rates, and that they should be provided with public counsel during immigration hearings.

America in One Room
America in One Room is a historic gathering of 500 American voters who will participate in a nonpartisan discussion about the major issues of the 2020 presidential election.

Sondages: la fabrique d’une arme politique, France Culture 4/2019 MP3
“Ce qui m’intéresse, argumente-t-il d’emblée, c’est ce que penseraient les gens s’ils discutaient avec respect avec des personnes d’un avis opposé, et qu’ils avaient de bonnes informations, parce que généralement, ils n’ont pas les bonnes informations”.

Power to the people – could a citizens’ assembly solve the Brexit crisis? The Guardian 1/2019 PDF

Revitalizing Our Politics through Public Deliberation 12/2018
James Fishkin addresses the Royal Society of the Arts in London.

KPFA Rising Up: Sonali Kolhatkar interviews James Fishkin KPFA 9/2018 MP3
Fishkin discusses his new book “Democracy When the People Are Thinking: Revitalizing Our Politics Through Public Deliberation”.

Does democracy need an overhaul? KPFA Talkies 8/2018 MP3
Kris Welch interviews James Fishkin.

Yes, Ordinary Citizens Can Decide Complex Issues The Wall Street Journal 8/2018 PDF
James Fishkin’s Op-Ed discusses how representative panels of the populace have helped choose energy policy in Texas, constitutional amendments in Mongolia, and other issues in 28 countries.

Democracy When the People are Thinking 7/2018
James Fishkin speaking at the TedX Design High School.

Democracy When the People are Thinking 5/2018
James Fishkin speaking at the American Philosophical Society Annual Meeting.

New MOU between Åbo Akademi University and Stanford University within the area of democracy research Åbo Akademi University 5/2018
The MOU, which was signed with the Stanford Center for Deliberative Democracy, primarily involves researcher mobility and joint research.

How Citizens Can Hack EU Democracy Carnegie Europe 5/2018 PDF
Busy citizens will not engage with European politics unless they have a good chance of being heard. The EU must provide tangible and high-profile initiatives to bridge this divide.

How the EU is trying to find out what on Earth Europeans want The Economist 5/2018 PDF
Long chats with ordinary voters yield interesting results.

Democracy has to be about more than just casting a vote The Guardian 5/2018 PDF
Graham Allen says enhancing the electorate could be one way of improving the system to address the flaws in western democratic politics.

Let democracy rule nuclear energy Nature 3/2018 PDF
In South Korea, hundreds of well-informed citizens voted on behalf of their country — a technique that should be used more widely, says Ji-Bum Chung.

Democracy 2050: International experts analyze the future of democracy
ICARE, Chilean Institute of Rational Business Administration held a forum about deliberative democracy and its future in Chile. James Fishkin was one of the featured speakers.

Rescuing Democracy: From Ancient Athens to Brexit Reasons to be Cheeerful with Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd 2/2018 MP3

Democracy When the People are Thinking 11/2017
This talk by James Fishkin was a part of the Hannah Arendt Center’s 10th annual conference, “Crises of Democracy: Thinking in Dark Times”.

Electoral Reform: Are there better ways to consult the public than opinion surveys? Vancouver Sun 11/2017 PDF
We have a chance in B.C. in the coming year to carefully consider the fairness, effectiveness, inclusiveness, and stability of our electoral system. Before we make up our minds, it would be good to really understand the choices. Deliberative Polling is one option that might get us, affordably and quickly, to that goal.

The Dilemma of relocating Nsanje flood victims The Times Group (Malawi) 10/2017 PDF

Interview on German Radio with James Fishkin on Referendums and Deliberative Polling WDR 10/2017 MP3

La proposition de M. Macron de consulter les citoyens sur l’Europe est nécessaire et réalisable Le Monde 9/2017 PDF
Deux experts politologues estiment, dans une tribune au « Monde », qu’un outil existe pour réaliser le souhait du président de la République d’organiser une grande consultation sur l’avenir de l’Europe : le « sondage délibératif ».

Deliberative Polling for Constitutional Change in Mongolia: An Unprecedented Experiment ConstitutionNet 9/2017 PDF
Professor Fishkin and MP Zandanshatar conclude that the experience attests to the unique value of Deliberative Polling as a modality of public participation in constitutional reform processes.

Why deliberative polling? Korea JoongAng Daily 9/2017 PDF
Consulting the people is not as easy as it sounds.

[시론] 탈원전 공론화엔 ‘숙의 여론조사’가 제격 NAVER 9/2017 PDF, PDF (English Translation)
OPED: Why Deliberative Polling? The government should be commended for wanting to consult the people about the difficult choice it faces on possibly suspending the Shin Kori nuclear power plants 5 and 6.

[주간조선] ‘공론조사 창시자’ 피시킨 교수 단독 인터뷰 출처 Chosun Daily 8/2017 PDF, PDF (English translation)
The heat of debates over suspending the construction of the Shin Kori nuclear power plant 5 and 6, a decision that would be a milestone in the Moon government’s anti-nuclear power policy, shows no sign of abating. The government has commissioned the Public Opinion Committee for the Shin Kori 5 and 6, which was set up in July, to come to a decision.

공론조사 창안자 “원전 공론화, 시민에 충분한 정보량이 관건 NAVER 8/2017 PDF

Opinion: Deliberative polling a route to electoral reform Vancouver Sun 8/2017 PDF

A big idea: A national holiday to talk politics Newsroom (NZ) 8/2017 PDF
A New Zealand version of Deliberation Day would ideally be marked by community events and working bees, town hall meetings, festivals that combine music and politics, and other gatherings designed to foster discussion.

OPED: Case for deliberative polls The Kathmandu Post 7/2017 PDF
How do you achieve broad-based consensus for constitutional amendment? In a country as diverse as Nepal, is this even possible? The time has come for a more innovative approach.

Who decides Kori plants fate? Korea Joongang Daily 7/2017 PDF

New Dædalus Issue on “The Prospects & Limits of Deliberative Democracy” 6/2017
“Democracy is under siege.” So begins the Summer 2017 issue of Dædalus on “The Prospects & Limits of Deliberative Democracy.” In their introduction to the issue, editors James S. Fishkin and Jane Mansbridge consider the crisis of confidence in the ideal of democracy as rule by the people.

Deliberative Polling and the Future of Mongolia’s Constitution The Asia Foundation 5/2017 PDF
The two-day event stimulated discussion and gathered citizen input on critical issues ranging from the powers of the president and ensuring the independence of the civil society, to the pressures of urbanization and the frequency of elections

Collaboration at Stanford leads to Mongolian parliament passing law on public opinion polling Stanford Report 5/2017 PDF
A meeting between Stanford communications Professor James Fishkin and Gombojav Zandanshatar, a member of Mongolia’s parliament, inspired a new law that requires an in-depth method of public opinion polling to take place before an amendment to Mongolia’s constitution can be enacted.

West African urban polls find clean water top priority Reuters 3/2017 PDF

James Fishkin, architecte de la démocratie pure Libération 2/2017 PDF

This time, the republic movement must be community driven The Sydney Morning Herald 2/2016 PDF

What’s the Voters’ Problem? That’s a Lot Harder to Determine than You Might Suspect. History News Network Blog 1/2016 PDF
Rick Shenkmen discusses Deliberative Polling® in his book Political Animals: How Our Stone Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics

The key to deliberative democracy is grasping the public’s opinion (language: Chinese) Tencent Culture 12/2015 PDF

When the People Speak book launched in China (language: Chinese) inews.qq.com 12/2015 PDF

Os políticos estão cada vez mais distantes das pessoas Entrevista 12/2015 PDF

Como tornar a democracia mais significativa e fazer melhores cidadãos Gazeta Do Povo 12/2015 PDF
Read the english translation of the Gazeta Do Povo interview with James Fishkin.

Democracia deliberativa – ouvindo o povo (language: Portuguese) Gazeta Do Povo 12/2015 PDF

Here’s a concept: Have voters actually inform our politicians Michigan Radio 9/2015 PDF MP3
So what’s the Next Idea? Deliberative Polling is a way to bring together the members of a diverse society to discuss issues and inform leaders about public opinion.

Empowering the people with ‘deliberative democracy’ The Tampa Tribune 7/2015 PDF

Sort the Candidates Through Deliberation Huffington Post 6/2015 PDF
Given the state of our campaign dialogue, might the system work much better if the visibility primary were made more deliberative?

Britain Should Deliberate Before It Votes on Europe Huffington Post UK 6/2015 PDF
Op-ed piece by Deliberation Day authors Bruce Ackerman and James Fishkin

State of African resilience report launched New Vision 5/2015 PDF

Democracy Does Not Live by Tech Alone Foreign Policy 5/2015 PDF

It’s Not A Come-On From A Satanic Cult. It’s A New Kind Of Poll! NPR 5/2015 PDF MP3
NPR’s Morning Edition reports on the unique challenges of Deliberative Polling® in Tanzania

Helping African Citizens Make Informed Choices Stanford University Office of International Affairs 2/2015 PDF
Deliberative Polling® in Ghana and Uganda encourages African citizens to deliberate on issues that challenge life in vulnerable communities.

TechCrunch Deliberation on Immigration 12/2014
A sample of TechCrunch readers participated in a controlled experiment with video based online discussions in small groups after which they posed questions to competing experts.

Deliberative and Participatory Democracy: Theory and Practice 5/2014
A conference on Deliberative and Participatory Democracy was held May 30-31, 2014 at Stanford University.

The Law of Deliberative Democracy 12/2013
View symposium papers from the Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy

Book Excerpt: How the Public Got Behind Texas Wind Power, The Texas Tribune 9/2013 PDF
The renewable-energy epiphany that launched Texas wind power came through an unexpected channel: public opinion polls in the mid-1990s. An excerpt from The Great Texas Wind Rush.

Global Citizen Foundation: Towards a Better Global Economy Project 7/2013
James S. Fishkin keynotes Geneva Conference for the Global Citizen Foundation.

There’s a Better Way to Bypass Stalled Officials The New York Times 7/2013
At both the local and state levels, there is a way to get voters more involved in setting the agenda, by creating a representative and thoughtful way for the people to determine whether a proposition should go on the ballot.

Lezione per i partiti: ecco il metodo per ascoltare davvero i cittadini Reset 6/2012 PDF

Translation: Lesson to political parties: here is the method for really listening to citizens Reset 6/2012 James Fishkin and Raffaele Calabretta

Sichuan Workshop on Deliberative Democracy and Public Consultation Sichuan University (China) 6/2012

What the People Want–When They Think About It SF Gate 5/2012
James S. Fishkin’s SFGate City Brights post on the “Government Performance and Accountability Act”

When Citizens Deliberate A New Science of Virtues
What are the virtues of democratic citizenship when voters are bombarded by WMD—by which I mean “weapons of mass distraction”

INTERVIEW/ James Fishkin: Deliberative Polling should be used in key policy issues like energy The Asahi Shimbun 2/2012

A California experiment in democracy San Francisco Chronicle 1/2012

SPUR Evening Forum: What’s Next California? The Power of Deliberative Polling 1/2012

How to Fix California’s Democracy Crisis The New York Times 10/2011

The Deliberative Corporation wins McKinsey/Harvard Business Review M-Prize 9/2011
View the proposal The Deliberative Corporation: A technology-supported process for sustainable decision-making and the Financial Times article about the prize.

Deliberative Democracy and the Virtues of Democratic Citizenship New Science of Virtues 4/2011

Our Times: Craig Barnes interviews James Fishkin
Instead of reasoned exchanges, our population has segregated itself into like minded and self-confirming cliques. Deliberative Polling^® creates an environment where people are exposed to alternative points of view and can be informed on the subject matter.

How Can a Democracy Solve Tough Problems? TIME.com 11/2010
Should Obama use Deliberative Polling^® rather than a blue-ribbon commission to make hard choices?

Symposium: James S. Fishkin’s When the People Speak The Good Society 7/2010

Government as if Listening Mattered 7/2010
Personal Democracy Forum with James Fishkin, Jane Mansbridge, Howard Rheingold and David Weinberger

Ancient Athens online: Democracy is about discussion, not just voting the Economist 5/2010

Why the Lib Dems do well out of TV debates The Guardian 4/2010

Deliberative Democracy and the Internet C-SPAN 11/2009
James S. Fishkin made the “keynote” presentation about When the People Speak on C-span.

Read chapter 1 of When the People Speak – Democratic Aspirations

When the People Speak: Deliberative Democracy and Public Consultation now available
In this book, James Fishkin combines a new theory of democracy with actual practice and shows how an idea that harks back to ancient Athens can be used to revive our modern democracies. See an excerpt from “Europe in One Room”, the DVD that accompanies the book.

The People Can Make Hard Budget Choices SF Gate 2/2010

WMD Found — Weapons of Mass Distraction SF Gate 9/2009

Consulting the People — Thoughtfully SF Gate 8/2009

‘Athens’ on the Net The New York Times 9/2009

Beyond Westminster BBC Radio 4 8/2009
BBC Radio Four examines Deliberative Polling® and other forms of public consultation.

Town Halls by Invitation The New York Times 8/2009
In a New York Times opinion piece, James Fishkin suggests Deliberative Polling^® as a method for members of Congress and their constituents to discuss health care.

Nuevas tendencias para medir la opinión pública Universidad Diego Portales 8/2009
La encuesta deliberativa es un instrumento de medición diseñado por la Universidad de Stanford y será presentado por Alice Siu, Subdirectora del Centro de Estudios Deliberativos de dicha casa de estudios.

Considered Public Opinion in Policy Reform The World Bank Group

Campaign ’08: How was it for you Jim Fishkin? Open Source 10/2008
James S. Fishkin is interviewed by Christopher Lydon. How does the presidential campaign of 2008 rate on three principal measuring sticks — participation, equality and deliberation?

California Cultures: Power to the People SF Gate 3/2007
San Francisco Chronicle article discusses techniques used to engage Californians more directly in the democratic process.

The Nation in a Room: Turning Public Opinion into Policy Boston Review 3/2007
How Deliberative Polling® addresses limitations of traditional public opinion polling.

It’s Their Call Stanford Magazine 1/2006
Chinese Communist Party officials are giving citizens a voice in decision making.

Magyar Agora 11/2005
For the first time in Hungary TV, radio, internet and press will provide a public space for direct community participation, and for the shaping of citizens’ views.

Online Deliberation 2005
The Second Conference on Online Deliberation: Design, Research, and Practice, will bring together software developers, social science researchers, and practioners of online deliberation for three days of presentations and workshops on the Stanford University campus.

Deliberation Day 11/2005
Bruce Ackerman and James Fishkin argue that Americans can revitalize their democracy and break the cycle of cynical media manipulation that is crippling public life.

NPPD Customer Meeting on Energy Alternatives 8/2003
Nebraska Public Power District invited a scientifically selected sample of its wholesale and retail residential customers to discuss energy alternatives