Yale Bulletin and Calendar

February 22, 2002

Volume 30, Number 19

Unique program will assess democracy at work

A unique exercise in "deliberative democracy" will be conducted at Yale Friday-Sunday, March 1-3.

The project, which will focus on the prospects for economic cooperation among cities and suburbs, is designed to show how citizens can break down barriers among municipalities in regions throughout the United States and to contribute an important new element to the debate about how to reverse the process of civic disengagement.

Researchers at Yale have invited 250 residents of the area to participate in the program, called a "Deliberative Poll," which features structured discussions about issues of mutual concern.

The project is sponsored by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and supported by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and other civic organizations in south central Connecticut. Its funders include the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Community Foundation and the Renée B. Fisher Foundation.

Project participants, who were scientifically selected as a representative cross-section of the regional population, will be polled before and after the weekend deliberation to determine if their views are affected after having a chance to learn about the issues and to consider the perspectives of their neighbors.

The regional issues to be covered in this poll are the future of the local airport, Tweed-New Haven, and the desirability of having area towns share a portion of their property taxes.

Before beginning their dialogue on these issues, participants will review well-balanced briefing materials prepared by the Regional Plan Association. In small group discussions with trained moderators, they will develop questions for panels of experts and political leaders representing competing points of view.

The Regional Deliberative Poll was designed by two Yale faculty members -- Cynthia Farrar, associate professor (adjunct) in the Yale Child Study Center, and Donald Green, professor of political science and psychology, and director of the Institute of Social & Policy Studies -- in collaboration with the inventor of the technique, Professor James Fishkin of the University of Texas at Austin.

Since Fishkin originated the concept in 1988, 18 Deliberative Polls have been held in the United States and abroad. Five national Deliberative Polls were conducted in Britain by the television network Channel Four, and another was held in Australia before the November 1999 referendum on changing the country from a monarchy to a republic. In the United States, one national-level and nine local versions of the program have been conducted with Fishkin's guidance.

"Ordinary polls often simply reflect the public's impression of sound bites and headlines," Fishkin says. "But the Deliberative Poll will show what the public would think about these important issues if it had a chance to become informed and consider competing points of view." More information on Deliberative Polling is available in Fishkin's book "The Voice of the People: Public Opinion and Democracy," published by Yale University Press.

"Deliberative Polls have been carried out in other contexts, and significant changes have always occurred," says Farrar, who is also director of urban academic initiatives in Yale's Office of New Haven and State Affairs, and the coordinator of the weekend event. "This is the very first regional Deliberative Poll, and we believe it could serve as a model to other urban regions around the state and the nation, particularly those that are pursuing 'smart growth' strategies."

Organizers believe the Regional Deliberative Poll can demonstrate the potential for mutual understanding -- and perhaps, for economic cooperation -- among cities and suburbs. Observers from other cities will watch the proceedings in the hope of organizing similar events.

The design of this Deliberative Poll will provide evidence about whether it is the deliberative process itself that causes individuals to change their minds, and whether these new views remain intact when participants return to their home towns and talk with their neighbors and local leaders.

The sponsors stress that they are not promoting any specific policy measure. Rather, they say, they hope that the conversation will change the terms of debate among public officials, civic leaders and citizens, as well as lead to some concrete actions that will improve the quality of life in the region's different communities.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the event, but must reserve a space by calling Cynthia Farrar at (203) 432-4070.

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