The public sphere is essential to good governance. The public sphere, as defined by
German sociologist and philosopher Jürgen Habermas, is an area in social life where
people can get together and freely identify and discuss societal problems and through that
discussion influence political action (Habermas, 1991). Some people relate the public
sphere to the Greek agora (The World Bank). Others point to the forming of public opinion.
The public sphere is a discursive space in which individuals and groups congregate to
discuss matters of mutual interest and, where possible, to reach a common judgment. The
public sphere can be seen as a theater in modern societies in which political participation
is acted out through the medium of talk and an area of social life in which public opinion can
be formed.
The public sphere mediates between the private sphere and the sphere of public authority