Table of Contents

Introduction
1. A Political Life Transformed
2. Pushing Citizens Aside
3. Losing Our Minds
4. Progressive Politics in the Pacific Northwest
5. A Crucial Test
6. The Best Argument Wins
7. Bureaucracy and Boycott
8. Back in the Wind Tunnel
9. Can Voters Deliberate?
10. Restoring Public Faith
Conclusion: What's Possible?

About the Author

John Gastil (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a professor in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University, where he is a senior scholar at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. Gastil's research focuses on the theory and practice of deliberative democracy, especially how small groups of people make decisions on public issues. The National Science Foundation has supported his
research on the Oregon Citizens' Initiative Review, the Australian Citizens' Parliament, jury deliberation, and cultural cognition.

Katherine R. Knobloch (PhD, University of Washington) is an assistant professor and the associate director of the Center for Public Deliberation (CPD) in the Department of Communication Studies at Colorado State University. At the CPD Knobloch trains undergraduates in civic engagement and facilitation and works with community partners to design and implement public forums. She studies the development, evaluation, and impact of deliberative public processes, with a focus on how
the emergence of deliberative institutions alters communities and individuals. Her research has appeared in numerous academic publications, including Politics, American Politics Research, and the Journal of Applied
Communication Research.