Deliberation in parliaments: a review of the empirical, rhetorical and systemic approaches

Abstract

Introduction: This essay discusses three different approaches to the study of deliberation in parliaments: empirical, rhetorical and systemic. Materials and Methods: Through a critical review of the scientific literature, this work addresses some conceptual and analytical problems of the empirical-quantitative strategies aimed at measuring parliamentary deliberation, emphasizing the utility of the rhetorical and systemic approaches to grasp the agonist component of parliamentary debates and also their embeddedness within the broader political system. Results: The paper shows that deliberative dynamics within the democratic chambers cannot be reduced to a formal, closed and quantifiable debate. Hence, it proposes an alternative model for the analysis of deliberative processes in this institution. Discussion: The heterogeneous nature of parliaments recommends studying the deliberative phenomenon in different moments and instances, which includes formal debates, closed door meetings and even informal exchanges outside the plenary and committees. This view challenges the dominance of the empirical-quantitative framing of parliamentary deliberation in the scientific literature and supports a more holistic research strategy based on the combination of the empirical, rhetorical and systemic approaches.

The Syrian refugee crisis through the lenses of Turkish political discourses: An analysis of deliberations in the Turkish Parliament

“…However, as the host to the world's largest refugee community, the political debates in Turkey would shed a further light onto and fit together with the empirical works on parliamentary debates in other countries. Parliaments are the main venues where political deliberations are conducted, revealing policy preferences and ideological positions of political groups (Chambers, 2004; Fangen & Vaage, 2018; Lauwers et al, 2021; Motos, 2019). According to Bachtiger et al (2005), parliamentary discourses are speech acts where the discourse itself plays both communicative and strategic roles.…”

“…According to Bachtiger et al (2005), parliamentary discourses are speech acts where the discourse itself plays both communicative and strategic roles. Similarly, Motos (2019: 6), claims ‘parliamentary discourse is characterized by a regulated interaction between participants’. Political confrontations are more visible in Parliaments, rather than compromise and consensus building (Dryzek, 2010).…”