Deliberation for Development: Ghana ’s First Deliberative Poll
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Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Deliberative Democracy
Abstract
This article poses the problem of public consultation in developing countries and applies a solution in
Ghana as a test case. It describes the theoretical rationale for deliberative consultation with random
samples, describes specific criteria for success, and then assesses an application under the challenging
conditions of a developing country. It builds on notions of “deliberative democracy,” and shows how
they can be practically realized in an African context through “Deliberative Polling” (DP). The challenge
is that the context is one of the poorest parts of one of the poorest countries in Africa. Rather than
consulting just stakeholders, or self-selected populations, or using conventional surveys, DP’s have the
advantage of consulting random samples with deliberation in depth in confidential surveys so that the
opinion changes can be evaluated at the individual level, free of social pressures for consensus. Is this
practical in this context? A DP was conducted in Tamale, Ghana on issues of water, sanitation, hygiene, and food security. Criteria for success for DPs that have been applied in highly developed countries are
discussed and then applied in Ghana under challenging conditions.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Deliberative democracy, Deliberative Polling, community consultations, Africa, Ghana, water, sanitation and hygiene, food security
Citation
Chirawurah, Dennis; Fishkin, James; Santuah, Niagia; Siu, Alice; Bawah, Ayaga; Kranjac-Berisavljevic, Gordana; and Giles, Kathleen (2019) "Deliberation for Development: Ghana’s First Deliberative Poll," Journal of Public Deliberation: Vol. 15 : Iss. 1 , Article 3. DOI: 10.16997/jdd.314