When War Adversaries Talk: The Experimental Effect of Engagement Rules on Postconflict Deliberation

A set of discussion groups including leftist ex-guerrillas and rightist ex-paramilitaries in Colombia shows the limits for democratic deliberation in postconflict societies, but also points to ways that outcomes closer to the deliberative ideal might be obtained. A total of 342 ex-combatants agreed to sit down and talk politics under a number of experimental conditions, using three different protocols of engagement. Results show that consensus rule fosters simultaneously a more reasoned and common-good–oriented, and less self-interested type of discussion when compared to majority rule and unstructured “free talk.” Nevertheless, while it might be desirable to promote a better quality of deliberation in divided societies, it does not necessarily prevent antagonists’ tendency to polarize. © 2016 University of Miami

• Fecha de publicación: 2016
• Institución: Universidad del Rosario
• Repositorio: Repositorio EdocUR - U. Rosario
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:repository.urosario.edu.co:10336/22508
• Acceso en línea: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2016.00319.x; https://repository.urosario.edu.co/handle/10336/22508
• Palabra clave: Conflict management; Democracy; Experiment; Politics; War; Colombia
• License: Abierto (Texto Completo)