Referendums and representative democracy : responsiveness, accountability and deliberation
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Referendums and representative democracy : responsiveness, accountability and deliberation
（Routledge/ECPR studies in European political science, 62）
Routledge, 2013, c2019
- : pbk
Available at 1 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This volume analyses how the use of referendums affects the central functions and characteristics of representative democracy. It provides a balanced account of the interaction between referendums and representative institutions and actors, seeking to evaluate whether referendums supplement or undermine representative democracy. Considering both normative and empirical questions, the volume also examines the particular circumstances under which referendums strengthen or weaken representative democracy.
Providing a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches used in the study of referendums, this book is divided into three sections: Referendums and the Models of Democracy, The Demand of Referendums: Party Ideologies and Strategies, and Referendum Campaigns and Voter Behaviour. It features case studies on Ireland, Israel, Canada, California, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Nordic Countries, the Netherlands, Spain and the EU Constitutional Treaty. In addition to system-level evaluations of referendums, studies on the ideological attitudes of political actors and strategic use of referendums, the volume also provides analyses of referendum campaigns and voters' choices in referendums. Covering referendums on European integration, the volume also demonstrates how supra-national governance gives rise to the demand of referendums.
This volume will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, political theory, comparative politics, and European studies.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction Maija Setala Section 1: Referendums and Models of Democracy 2. From People's Veto to Instrument of Elite Consensus: The Referendum Experience in Ireland Bill Kissane 3. Stabilizing or Destabilizing? Direct-Democratic Instruments in Different Political systems Wilfried Marxer and Zoltan Tibor Pallinger 4. Ideological Positions and the Referendum in the Netherlands Ank Michels Section 2: The Demand for Referendums: Strategies and Ideologies 5. To Structure Political Conflict: The Institutionalization of Referendums on European Integration in the Nordic Countries Nick Sitter 6. Elite Motives for Initiating Referendums: Avoidance, Addition and Contradiction Gideon Rahat 7. The Surge of Referendums and the New Politics Approach Tor Bjorklund Section 3: Referendum Campaigns and Voter Behaviour 8. Campaign Tactics and Outcomes in Referendums: A Comparative Analysis Lawrence LeDuc 9. Intense but Useless? Public Debate and Voting Factors in Two Referendums in Spain Joan Font and Elisa Rodriguez 10. Checks and Balances in Swiss Direct Democracy Fritz Sager and Marc Buhlmann 11. Conclusions Theo Schiller
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