Democratic Listening

Why do we care about listening? This collection examines listening in various political contexts, illuminating its profound role in democratic communication. Listening is not merely a passive act; it expresses, relies on, and alters power. If we understand listening and ignoring to be acts of political power, then it bears asking what a specifically democratic practice of listening entails.

This volume brings together philosophical, observational, and experimental research to investigate when and how listening takes place, the obstacles to effective listening, and its implications for democratic representation, deliberation, and policymaking. The chapters employ diverse methodological approaches—from meta-analyses to field experiments—to provide a systematic account of the antecedents and consequences of political listening in contemporary democracy. The studies help explain how and why listening matters, particularly during times of democratic stress and reveal how listening shapes voter confidence, reduces in-group bias, and influences legislative engagement with constituents.

Essential reading for scholars and practitioners in political science, communication studies, democratic theory, and public policy, this volume closes the gap between normative political theory and empirical research, providing a comprehensive framework for assessing listening as a democratic practice. The essays in this volume were originally published as a special issue of Political Communication.

Mary F. (Molly) Scudder is Associate Professor of Political Science at Purdue University. She is the author of Beyond Empathy and Inclusion: The Challenge of Listening in Democratic Deliberation (2020) and co-author of The Two Faces of Democracy: Decentering Agonism and Deliberation (2023).

Michael A. Neblo is an Alumni Endowed Professor of Political at Ohio State University, where he directs the Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA). He is the author of Deliberative Democracy between Theory and Practice (2015) and co-author of Politics with the People: Building a Directly Representative Democracy (2018).