This book addresses the problems with deliberative democracy - and potential solutions - in the context of empirical evidence. Deliberative democracy is the darling of democratic theory and political theory more generally, and generates international interest. In this book, a number of leading democratic theorists address the key issues that surround the theory and practice of deliberative democracy. They outline the problems faced by deliberative democracy in the context of the available empirical evidence, survey potential solutions and put forward new and innovative ideas to resolve these issues. Each chapter takes a key issue as its focus, looking at issues such as conflict, inequality, pluralism, participation and the public sphere.