Download or read book Design Meaning and Choice in Direct Democracy written by Shauna Reilly and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-22 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Design, Meaning and Choice in Direct Democracy examines the link between political knowledge and participation in direct democracy in the United States. Presenting insights on the different behaviours of the petitioner, the ballot and the voter and using quantitative, qualitative and experimental methodological approaches, Shauna Reilly evaluates the use of direct democracy and why, despite the power of these measures, there is such low turnout in these elections. She demonstrates the varied approaches to ballot measures and citizens particularly when dealing with citizen comprehension which can account for the variety of language that appears on the ballot. A rigorous and highly original analysis of direct democracy in the United States, this book guarantees that readers will be shocked at the findings and question the future of governance through ballot measures.
Download or read book Demanding Choices written by Shaun Bowler and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2000-12-21 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DIVReferenda are becoming a more common way to resolve heated political questions. This book shows how voters make choices in referenda /div
Download or read book Direct democracy written by Matt Qvortrup and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2015-11-01 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should citizens be allowed to propose legislation? Should they even be allowed to recall politicians if they do not live up to their expectations? These questions and many others form the subject of this timely book. In addition to presenting an up to date review of the empirical literature, Direct democracy provides a survey of the political philosophers who have theorised about this subject. It is the central tenet in the book that the demand for direct democracy is a consequence of the demand for more consumer choices. Like consumers want individualised products, so voters want individualised and bespoke policies. Described by the BBC as "The world’s leading expert on referendums", the author, Matt Qvortrup, draws on his experience as a political advisor to the US State Department, as well as his extensive academic knowledge of direct democracy.
Download or read book Direct Democracy Worldwide written by David Altman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-20 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 democracy is costly, may generate uncertainties and inconsistencies, and can be manipulated. Nonetheless, the promise of direct democracy should not be dismissed. Direct democracy is much more than a simple, pragmatic second choice when representative democracy seems not to be working as expected. Properly designed, it can empower citizens, breaking through some of the institutionalized barriers to accountability that arise in representative systems.
Download or read book Meaningful Choices written by Shauna Reilly and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What role does political knowledge play in campaigning for and participation in direct democracy? A foundational principle of democracy is citizen participation in decision-making. This foundation assumes that citizens are at least somewhat knowledgeable about government and able to make informed choices. This analysis examines the role that meaningful decisions play in direct democracy, because "for voters to make meaningful decisions, they must understand the options on which they are deciding" (Dalton 1988: 13). This analysis uses three different methodologies to investigate this relationship. First, through qualitative analysis and a mail survey of petitioners, this study explores how petitioners view and approach the public. This study finds that expectations of political knowledge affects how petitioners approach the public and how much time they spend educating the public about their initiative. Second, through statistical (multi-level regression) analysis, this study investigates the impact of the ballot language on participation in individual ballot propositions. This study finds that ballot language is a significant barrier to participation. Third, through experimental analysis, this study connects measures of political knowledge and participation on ballot propositions written by petitioners across the country. This study finds that when confronted with more difficult ballot language voters are less likely to participate. However, when controlling for political knowledge this effect is truncated. The findings of this analysis argue the elite bias of direct democracy in ballot language, accessibility, and motives of petitioners. The study of participation in direct democracy and political knowledge across American states advances the theoretical understanding of democratic participation, and furthers our understanding of the role citizen political knowledge plays in policymaking.
Download or read book Direct Democracy in the United States written by Shauna Reilly and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experts assess the connection between characteristics of petitioners, how they are able to influence their communities beyond the ballot box and how large an influence they are on specific areas of policy.
Download or read book Citizenship and Contemporary Direct Democracy written by David Altman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a comparative study of the origins, performance, and reform of contemporary mechanisms of direct democracy.
Download or read book Direct Democracy and Public Choice written by Elizabeth Garrett and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public choice, with its focus on interest groups, relationships among institutions, and the importance of procedures and institutions in shaping policies, has been a significant influence on the literature studying direct democracy. Direct democracy encompasses two methods of providing voters with direct lawmaking authority - the initiative and the referendum - as well as a third method of directly influencing lawmakers outside of the regular electoral process - the recall. Twenty-seven states provide for the initiative, the popular referendum or both; and the legislative referendum is required in every state for adoption of constitutional amendments. When one considers that about half of the nation's cities also provide for some form of direct democracy, it is not surprising to find that 70 percent of Americans live in a state or city or both that allows them access to direct democracy. This chapter will discuss the contributions of public choice to our understanding of direct democracy in three areas: 1) the role of organized interest groups and the influence of money; 2) the ability of citizens to vote competently on initiatives and therefore enact policies that align with their preferences; and 3) the strategic behavior of political actors in a hybrid democracy where initiatives can shape candidate elections and where the successful implementation of direct democracy depends on the actions of often hostile elected and public officials.
Download or read book American Government 3e written by Glen Krutz and published by . This book was released on 2023-05-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Black & white print. American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes more examples and details regarding the lived experiences of diverse groups and communities within the United States. The authors and reviewers sought to strike a balance between confronting the negative and harmful elements of American government, history, and current events, while demonstrating progress in overcoming them. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement.
Download or read book Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance written by Stephen Elstub and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2019-12-27 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Democratic innovations are proliferating in politics, governance, policy, and public administration. These new processes of public participation are reimagining the relationship between citizens and institutions. This Handbook advances understanding of democratic innovations, in theory and practice, by critically reviewing their importance throughout the world. The overarching themes are a focus on citizens and their relationship to these innovations, and the resulting effects on political equality. The Handbook therefore offers a definitive overview of existing research on democratic innovations, while also setting the agenda for future research and practice.
Download or read book Historical Dictionary of Democracy written by Norman Abjorensen and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-06-15 with total page 551 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Democracy is easy to talk about but hard to define in other than broad generalizations; its history is a long, complex, and contested subject. What this volume seeks to do is to explore the general evolution of political and social thinking that would eventually coalesce into what we now know as democracy, for all its imperfections and shortcomings. The question of just why some societies evolved into a democratic trajectory and others did not continues to engage the interest of historians, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists. Much conjecture surrounds the rise of certain elements we now recognize if not as democratic, then proto-democratic, such as collective decision-making, constraints on the exercise of power and a degree of accountability of the ruler to the ruled. If democracy in the sense of “rule by the people” has two essential qualities – rule by the majority and the equal treatment of free citizens - then its origins, however feeble, are to be found in these early examples of government. Historical Dictionary of Democracy contains a chronology, an introduction, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about democracy.
Download or read book Google and Democracy written by Sean Richey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-01 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time in human history, access to information on almost any topic is accessible through the Internet. A powerful extraction system is needed to disseminate this knowledge, which for most users is Google. Google Search is an extremely powerful and important component to American political life in the twenty-first century, yet its influence is poorly researched or understood. Sean Richey and J. Benjamin Taylor explore for the first time the influence of Google on American politics, specifically on direct democracy. Using original experiments and nationally representative cross-sectional data, Richey and Taylor show how Google Search returns quality information, that users click on quality information, and gain political knowledge and other contingent benefits. Additionally, they correlate Google usage with real-world voting behavior on direct democracy. Building a theory of Google Search use for ballot measures, Google and Democracy is an original addition to the literature on the direct democracy, Internet politics, and information technology. An indispensable read to all those wishing to gain new insights on how the Internet has the power to be a normatively valuable resource for citizens.
Download or read book Design for Democracy written by Marcia Lausen and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-11-15 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In November 2000, when the now-infamous "butterfly ballot" confused crucial Florida voters during a hotly contested presidential race, the importance of well-designed ballots to a functioning democracy caught the nation's attention. Recognizing that our entire voting process—from registering to vote to following instructions at the polling place—can be almost as confusing as the Florida ballot, Design for Democracy builds on the lessons of 2000 by presenting innovative steps for redesigning elections in the service of citizens. Handsomely designed itself, this volume showcases adaptable design models that can improve almost every part of the election process by maximizing the clarity and usability of ballots, registration forms, posters and signs, informational brochures and guides, and even administrative materials for poll workers. Design for Democracy also lays out specific guidelines—covering issues of color palette, typography, and image use—that anchor the comprehensive election design system devised by the group of design specialists from whose name the book takes its title. Part of a major AIGA strategic program, this group's prototypes and recommendations have already been used successfully in major Illinois and Oregon elections and, collected here, are likely to spread across the country as more people become aware of the myriad benefits and broad applicability of improved election design. An essential tool for designers and election officials, lawmakers and citizens, Design for Democracy harnesses the power of design to increase voter confidence, promote government transparency, and, perhaps most important, create an informed electorate.
Download or read book Swiss Democracy written by Wolf Linder and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 2010-05-15 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An updated third edition of this authoriative analysis of Swiss democracy, the institutions of federalism, and consensus democracy through political power sharing. Linder analyses the scope and limits of citizen's participation in direct democracy, which distinguishes Switzerland from most parliamentary systems.
Download or read book Local Government and Urban Governance in Europe written by Carlos Nunes Silva and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-10-04 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses innovative responses and reforms developed in critical areas of urban governance in European countries. It examines the impact of European Union’s policies on the urban agenda and on local governance, and the impact of the transition to democracy in Central and in Southern Europe on local self-government systems. The book is divided into three parts: i) Crisis, Reform and Innovation in Local Government; ii) EU Policies, the Urban Agenda and Local Governance; and iii) Citizen Participation in Local Government. Providing an extensive and updated overview of key challenges in the governance of cities in Europe, the book will be of interest to students and researchers in the broader field of urban studies, and for policy-makers, especially those engaged in urban governance in European countries. /div
Download or read book Power Diffusion and Democracy written by Julian Bernauer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-05-16 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a theoretically and methodologically sophisticated remapping and analysis of political-institutional power diffusion in democracies.
Download or read book Comparing Political Communication across Time and Space written by M. Canel and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-10-29 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By using a wide diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches and by encompassing both cross-national and longitudinal analyses, this volume sheds new light on comparative political communication research, such as personalization, globalization, democratization, and the changing nature of journalism,
