Embedded Deliberation: Entrepreneurs, Organizations, and Public Action

This very meaty 151-page final report to the Hewlett Foundation by Elena Fagotto and Archon Fung includes detailed case studies on West Virginia’s National Issues Forums, Public Deliberation in South Dakota, Public Deliberation in Hawai’i, and Connecticut’s Community Conversations about Education. Elena Fagotto presented a workshop on her research at NCDD’s 2006 conference called “Embedded Deliberation: Moving from Deliberation to Action.” She decided to share the report with the NCDD community since many of her workshop participants requested it.

NCDD 2006 session description for “Embedded Deliberation: Moving from Deliberation to Action”
In this session, Elena Fagotto will present findings from an ongoing research project based at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government investigating the connections between embedded deliberation and action. She will first introduce the concept of embedded deliberation, and how embeddedness can lead to action. We will also analyze different arenas in which deliberation can become embedded – from non-profit organizations, to academia and state legislatures.

We will then examine the role of deliberative entrepreneurs, and areas in which public deliberation can promote public action and policy change. Throughout the presentation, fieldwork evidence will be used to support the theory and provide concrete examples for the audience. There will also be opportunities for participants to engage by reflecting on new arenas for embedding deliberation, or examples of action not contemplated in our findings. This workshop offers new ideas for those interested in exploring opportunities to promote action through public deliberation.
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Also download Elena’s 30-slide PowerPoint presentation for the workshop, entitled Public Deliberation and Action: Key Findings. The PowerPoint provides a nice overview of the research results and you may find it easier to digest.

Final Report for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, submitted by the Taubman Center for State and Local Government and John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. April 14 (2006)

Download this resource here