Citizens at the centre: Deliberative participation in healthcare decisions - Softcover

Elizabeth Barnett; Celia Davies; Margaret Wetherell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861348029 ISBN 13: 9781861348029

Publisher: Policy Press, 2006

Synopsis

Involving citizens in policy decision-making processes - deliberative democracy - has been a central goal of the Labour government since it came to power in 1997. But what happens when members of the public are drawn into unfamiliar debate, with unfamiliar others, in the unfamiliar world of policy making at national level?This book sets out to understand the contribution that citizens can realistically be expected to make. Drawing on the lessons from an ethnographic study of a public involvement initiative in the health service - the Citizens Council of NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) - the book explores the practical realities behind the much-quoted faith in 'deliberation' that underpins so many models of public involvement and presents the analysis of sixty four hours of video and audiotape capturing a warts-and-all picture of deliberation in action. It sets deliberative participatory initiatives within a broad inter-disciplinary context and challenges politicians, policy-makers and academics to develop more realistic approaches to democratic innovation."Citizens at the centre" will be of interest to academics and students in social policy, sociology, politics, health, social care, economics, and public administration and management. It will also be valuable to anyone involved in the policy making process, not only in the UK, but also in Europe, the USA and other countries where deliberative democracy is being implemented or discussed.

About this title

About the Author:

Celia Davies, Professor of Health Care, Open University, Margaret Wetherell, Department of Social Sciences, Open University and Elizabeth Barnett, Former Research Associate in Health, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Open University

Review:

An engagingly written book that offers a detailed and thoughtful analysis of an innovative experiment in citizen participation in healthcare decision-making. This timely study raises a host of significant challenges for democratic theorists and practitioners alike. Graham Smith, Professor of Politics, School of Social Sciences, University of Southampton, UK

About this edition

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1861348029
• ISBN 13: 9781861348029
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304