Sites of Deliberation in Contemporary Electoral Systems (D. Weinstock)

Conférence | Talk

Daniel Weinstock

(University McGill)

Sites of Deliberation in Contemporary Electoral Systems: On the Deliberative Defence of some Unfashionable Political Institutions

I argue that if we are concerned with increasing the potential for deliberation during electoral campaigns in liberal democracies, we ought to reconsider the disdain which has been heaped by many political philosophers upon two unfashionable democratic institutions: the "First Past the Post" electoral system, and party discipline. FPP incentivizes the creation of broad parties, which are important sites of deliberation and compromise, and party discipline focusses the attention of voters on party platforms (rather than, say, on the personalities of candidates) by increasing the probability that a vote for party X will actually lead to the adoption of party X's platform.

Friday, October 31st, 2014

3:00pm

University of Ottawa

Desmarais Hall (55, Laurier East)

Room 8161