Hybrid deliberative democracy in practice: A case study of community engagement and public decision-making in Malang City, Indonesia

Asep Nurjaman^1*Julio Tomas Pinto²

• ¹Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, Malang, Indonesia
• ²Universidade Nacional Timor Lorasa'e, Díli, Timor-Leste

The following study will explain the implementation of deliberative democracy at a local Indonesian level by providing an overview of locality-based empirics on community participation that influences democratic development in developing countries. While the concept of deliberative democracy has been widely studied in the Western context, empirical research on Global South cities is limited. A qualitative approach (interviews, observations and document analysis) is used in this study to explore how public forums, participatory planning and citizen panels produce policy. Several findings indicate that (1) although these models have succeeded in encouraging inclusiveness, responsiveness, and citizen empowerment, (2) there are acute structural limitations, such as elite dominance, a lack of political literacy, and fragmented institutional support. It indicates that mixed deliberative practices are an interface between informal community groups, formal participatory systems, and practical politics. By emphasising the role of context-specific practices in supporting and strengthening normative models, this study contributes to a global discourse on deliberative democracy. Results of this study suggest the need for comparative studies, factoring in cultural/institutional/political dynamics that can shape deliberation beyond just consideration from within the South. As such, the findings provide ground for scholarly debate on democratic participation and also serve as input to practitioners wishing to enhance participatory governance in transactional political situations.