The Routledge Handbook to Referendums and Direct Democracy

ISBN 10: 1138209937 / ISBN 13: 9781138209930

Published by Routledge, 2017

About this Item

Book is in Used-Good condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting.

Seller Inventory # 1138209937-2-4

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Routledge Handbook to Referendums and Direct Democracy
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1138209937
• ISBN 13: 9781138209930
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 2.34 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

Over the last 30 years referendums have played an increasingly important role in determining government policy. Recent high profile referendums in Scotland, Catalonia and Ukraine have continued the movement towards independence referendums following decolonization and the end of the Cold War. The Greek bailout referendum and Britain’s vote on membership of the EU reflect a tradition of European states giving their people a direct say in the transfer of sovereign powers to the European Union seen through the ratification of key treaties such as Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon. This Routledge Handbook covers key aspects and issues of direct democracy and referendums throughout the world including:

•their history;

•when, why, where, how and on which issues referendums are held;

•why some referendums are more democratic than others;

•how referendums are won;

•whether they produce good policies;

•if referendums increase participation and improve the quality of representative democracies;

•do referendums increase trust in democracy and the political actors;

•the impact of new technology on the possibilities, methods and frequency of direct public political participation;

•how they should be regulated.

Covering other related areas such as recall, citizen juries and random selection, this compendium is an indispensable guide to referendums and the workings of modern democracy.

About the Author

Laurence Morel is Professor of Political Science at the University of Lille, France and affiliated to the Centre de Recherches Politiques de Sciences Po Paris (CEVIPOF), Francec.

Matt Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Coventry University, UK.