Between deliberation and negotiation: the case of the Mountain Forum in Aragon

Authors

  • Quim Brugué
  • Marc Parés

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18042/39939

Keywords:

Deliberative democracy, conflict, deliberative quality, negotiation, evaluation

Abstract

This article discusses how the wicked problem of «the mountains» in Aragón, a historical and highly complex conflict, has been approached through deliberation. Our aim is to respond to a larger theoretical issue: the viability and functionality of deliberation as a tool to produce better public policies in a context of high political and social conflict. We conclude that, although it is possible to generate deliberative spaces of quality that produce significant impacts on public policy, high-conflict contexts threaten the delicate deliberative balance. In our case study, in addition, there is a shift from deliberation to negotiation. Operating guidelines in deliberative spaces, the behaviour of the actors and the political leadership are shown as those aspects that determine the success of deliberation in a context of conflict.