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These videos below explore specific cases where Deliberative Polling as practiced by the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab was put into action. See Videos on Deliberative Polling and Deliberative Democracy
The EU Parliament held Deliberation about jobs, pensions, and expansion in 21 languages. Representatives from old and new member states showed clear disagreements during the meetings.
The newer post-Soviet countries opposed further EU growth because they worried about losing financial support. The debates revealed that economic issues, not cultural differences, created the main tensions between EU members.
Local leaders in Tamale, Ghana, organized successful community Deliberations about water and sanitation practices. The participants watched educational videos and talked about ways to improve hygiene in their community.
After these discussions, residents changed several unsafe practices, including moving gardens away from bathroom areas. The face-to-face meetings worked better than written surveys for helping people understand and solve local sanitation problems.
The leaders of Zeguo Township in China tested a new way of involving citizens in government decisions through Deliberative Democracy. Officials selected random residents using numbered balls to join discussions about community projects.
The citizens chose practical improvements over decorative projects during their meetings. The successful experiment showed how group discussions can help governments make better decisions, even in countries without democratic traditions.
A large group of Americans gathered in Dallas to Deliberate major national issues like immigration and healthcare for four days. Expert panels guided the discussions, helping Republicans and Democrats understand each other’s views better.
The participants changed their extreme political positions to more moderate ones after talking with people from different backgrounds. Follow-up interviews showed that people developed more empathy and understanding through these face-to-face conversations.