Referendum democracy : citizens, elites, and deliberation in referendum campaigns

As the referendum becomes a more regular component of decision making, it leaves few, if any, institutions, processes and values of democracy untouched. Political actors of all kinds - including political parties and interest groups - seek to use the referendum device to further their own objectives. The end result is a different kind of democracy than existed before. This book lays out the comparative research agenda on the impact of referendums on the practice of liberal democracy. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction: Referendum Democracy....Pages 1-22 Front Matter....Pages 23-23 Public Opinion and Support for Direct Democracy: a Grassroots Perspective....Pages 25-46 The Rise of Government-Initiated Referendums in Consolidated Democracies....Pages 47-64 Front Matter....Pages 65-65 Political Parties in Direct Democracy....Pages 67-87 Legislative Response to Direct Legislation....Pages 88-108 Amending Constitutions through the Referendum Device....Pages 109-124 Popular Control of Referendum Agendas: Implications for Democratic Outcomes and Minority Rights....Pages 125-146 The Medium is the Message: How Referendums Lead us to Understand Equality....Pages 147-165 Front Matter....Pages 167-167 Voters’ Decisions in the Nordic EU Referendums of 1994: the Importance of Party Cues....Pages 169-190 Are Voters to Blame? Voter Competence and Elite Maneuvers in Referendums....Pages 191-210 The News Media and Referendums....Pages 211-230 Constitutional Referendums and Democratic Deliberation....Pages 231-255 Back Matter....Pages 256-277 The use of referendums and initiatives has increased sharply over the past quarter century, both in the United States (Cronin, 1989; Waters, 1999) and in other democratic countries around the world (Butler and Ranney, 1994; Dalton, 1996; Uleri, 1996; Setala, 1999a).