Deliberation within Sectors. Making the Case for Sector Mini-publics NTERNATIONAL REVIEW of SOCIAL RESEARCH I IRSR

In this paper it will be argued that a particular type of collaborative governance, sector mini-publics, has tremendous utility for policy formulation or evaluation. Sector mini-publics can be situated between traditional mini-publics and enclave deliberation, and should be evaluated using the same criteria applied to mini-publics in general, i.e. those that select from amongst the entire population. Inclusiveness, deliberation and influence are just as important as criteria for evaluation. Drawing on three examples of sector mini-publics, each involving a particular sector (young people, people with disabilities and the elderly), the authors build their argument that sector mini-publics have proven value, and should be encouraged, as well as subjected to further research.