Creating Futures

Deliberation Tools

Overview

The Deliberation Matrix is a community process tool that has been developed by Professor Martin O'Connor at Université de Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines. It allow for stakeholder groups to evaluate the outcomes of policy decision and deliberate the suitability of these outcomes from their perspective. The Deliberation Matrix is being applied to the local government process in New Zealand to see if it can be applied in a way that adds value to both the decisions that are made and the involvement of the community in decision making processes.

Use of Deliberation Tools

The deliberation tool can be used to provide additional contextual input from key community groups about their views on policy options. Using this method of community involvement can create a deep level of understanding about areas of agreement and conflict between stakeholders and then allows for productive discussions on possible trade-offs to occur.  The deliberation tool is also supported and improved by using the information that can be produced by a spatial model.

Development Process

The deliberation tools are being developedthrough a series of workshops with key stakeholders and potential end users.

Outputs

Sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa: social learning through piecewise deliberation - REEDS Working Paper Nov 2010  

Informing decision-making through deliberative approaches: A procedural guideline - Report June 2010

Deliberation matrix process with stakeholders

Deliberation Workshop No 1 March 2008 - Report

Deliberation Workshop No 2 June 2008 - Report

Deliberation Workshop No 3 November 2008 - Report

Further Resources