Editors: Mary F. Scudder, Michael A. Neblo Edited Volume, Routledge, 2026

Project Description: This edited volume examines listening across a range of political contexts and its role in democratic communication. It treats listening as more than a passive act: listening expresses, relies on, and alters power. If listening and ignoring are understood as acts of political power, the editors ask what a democratic practice of listening entails. The chapters combine philosophical, observational, and experimental research, using methods that range from meta-analyses to field experiments, to investigate when and how listening takes place, the obstacles to effective listening, and what listening means for democratic representation, deliberation, and policymaking. The studies help explain how and why listening matters, particularly in times of democratic stress, and show how listening shapes voter confidence, reduces in-group bias, and influences legislators' engagement with constituents. The essays were originally published as a special issue of Political Communication.

Publication Details: Democratic Listening: Principles, Practices, and Possibilities (Routledge, 2026), 218 pages

Keywords: Democratic Listening, Political Communication, Representation

Filters: 2026, Book, Democratic Theory