Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

The research questions -- Institutions and behavior : the example of consociational theory -- The philosophical literature on deliberative politics -- Measuring deliberation : a Discourse Quality index -- Understanding the real world of deliberation : hypotheses about antecedents and consequences -- Antecedents of deliberation : institutions and issues -- Discourse and its consequences -- Discourse Quality Index (DQI) : instructions for coders.

'Deliberative politics' refers to the role of conversation and arguments in politics. Until recently discussion of deliberative politics took place almost exclusively among political philosophers, but many questions raised in this philosophical discussion cry out for empirical investigation. This book provides the first extended empirical study of deliberative politics, addressing, in particular, questions of the preconditions and consequences of high level deliberation. Using parliamentary debates in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States as an empirical base, the authors measure the level of deliberation by constructing a 'Discourse Quality Index'. As deliberative politics moves to the forefront of political theory, this book makes an important contribution to deliberative democracy.