Direct Democracy Worldwide [Hardcover]

This book demonstrates how practices of direct and representative democracy interact under different institutional settings.Direct Democracy Worldwide addresses the relationship between direct and representative democracy in the contemporary world and uncovers the specific conditions under which they can be mutually reinforcing in democratic or less democratic systems. It demonstrates that direct democracy is Janus-faced: some mechanisms of direct democracy look forward in an attempt to democratize politics, whereas others look backward, enhancing the power of the politicians who deliberately use them. When it does the latter, instead of giving power to the people, it further subjects the people to the powerful.Direct Democracy Worldwide addresses the relationship between direct and representative democracy in the contemporary world and uncovers the specific conditions under which they can be mutually reinforcing in democratic or less democratic systems. It demonstrates that direct democracy is Janus-faced: some mechanisms of direct democracy look forward in an attempt to democratize politics, whereas others look backward, enhancing the power of the politicians who deliberately use them. When it does the latter, instead of giving power to the people, it further subjects the people to the powerful.Challenging the common assumption that models of direct democracy and representative democracy are necessarily at odds, Direct Democracy Worldwide demonstrates how practices of direct and representative democracy interact under different institutional settings and uncovers the conditions that allow them to coexist in a mutually reinforcing manner. Whereas citizen-initiated mechanisms of direct democracy can spur productive relationships between citizens and political parties, other mechanisms of direct democracy often help leaders bypass other representative institutions, undermining republican checks and balances. The book also demonstrates that the embrace of direct democlS