Engaging citizens in deliberations for health policy development: Democratising health policy?

Abstract

With deliberative mini-publics heralded for their capacity to create a more meaningful and democratic way for governments to engage with their citizens, surprisingly little qualitative research exists on citizens’ experiences of mini-publics when used in health policy development. Working to remedy this deficit, this research finds many factors which unintentionally disable citizens’ experiences of exchanging knowledge and expressing their deliberative capacities. Instances of epistemic injustice also become apparent and questions are raised over the democratic authenticity and legitimacy of mini-publics when used in such circumstances. Conversely, the intrinsic potential for deliberative-practice to create an intersubjective space that promotes a transformative exchange of knowledge was also evident; suggesting that mini-publics represent a significant, though currently untapped, resource in public health and wellbeing. To more fully realise this potential, I propose an intentionally enabling approach so that mini-publics become a more substantively equal, empowering, egalitarian, educative and epistemically just means of health policy development.