Download or read book Direct Democracy in Canada written by J. Patrick Boyer and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 1996-07-25 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Direct Democracy in Canada: The History and Future of Referendums surveys Canada’s century-long record of plebiscites and referendums. J. Patrick Boyer analyzes the effects of the three national referendums and the development of a consensus. This companion volume to The People’s Mandate studies some of the major provincial and municipal referendums, examines existing legal frameworks and speculates on the future of direct democracy in Canada.
Download or read book Direct Democracy in Canada The History and Future of Referendums written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Direct Democracy in Canada: The History and Future of Referendums surveys Canada’s century-long record of plebiscites and referendums. J. Patrick Boyer analyzes the effects of the three national referendums and the development of a consensus. This companion volume to The People’s Mandate studies some of the major provincial and municipal referendums, examines existing legal frameworks and speculates on the future of direct democracy in Canada.
Download or read book The People s Mandate written by J. Patrick Boyer and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 1992 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mood of anger with the political system has been stirring across Canada; yet rather than turning away from the system, many Canadians are actually seeking a greater say in matters that affect them. they want to become more effective participants in the political process. In this timely book, Patrick Boyer examines the important role that direct democracy -- through the occasional use of referendums, plebscites, and inniatives -- can play in concert with our existing institutions of representative democracy. This concept is not alien to our country, says Boyer, pointing to the two national plebiscites (on prohibition of alcohol in 1898 and consciption for overseas military service in 1942), some sixty provincial plebscites (on everything from sovereignty-association to abortion, medicare to women's suffrage, prohibition to ownership of power companies), and several thousand at the municipal level. Direct voting is an important instrument in a truly democratic society, Boyer argues, and it has a more important rold in the current reformation of Canada than some in the comfortable growing governing classes want to admit. In addition to clarifying an issue, it is an educational tool, as the plebiscite campaign becomes a national teach-in. Canadians can become participants, rathe rthan mere spectators, in the major changes and transcending isues that affect the future of our country. The People's Mandate is a helpful guide to understanding the distinctions between plebiscites and referendums in a purely Canadian context. It addresses some of the concerns about this unparliamentary practice, and makes a powerful and logical statement about democracy. In sum, Boyer believes it is essential to govern with the trust of the people.
Download or read book The Routledge Handbook to Referendums and Direct Democracy written by Laurence Morel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-12-12 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Limits and Legitimacy of Referendums written by Richard Albert and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-04-25 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The possibility of democracy-enhancing uses and anti-democratic abuses of referendums reveals a paradox: mechanisms of democracy can be exploited to do violence to the basic principles of democracy. The Limits and Legitimacy of Referendums seeks to identify standards we might use to assess the democratic legitimacy of a referendum when we cannot rely on the norms of traditional liberal democracy. This innovative book explores how referendums manage the tension between liberalism and democracy, and whether this device holds promise for reconciling these two commitments. A range of scholars from around the world expose how referendums may be abused on one hand to achieve short-term political or even personal gains, and how, on the other, they may aspire to reflect the best traditions of deliberative, innovative, democracy-enhancing popular decision-making. Structured around three big questions, this book seeks to identify what makes a referendum legitimate. First, why have referendums on issues of fundamental political importance become so frequent around the world? Second, who are - or who should be - the people that make decisions about a political community's future? And third, are referendums an effective and reliable mechanism of popular sovereignty or democratic choice? These essays - written for scholars, public lawyers, political actors and citizens - bring together diverse perspectives on referendums, constitutionalism, liberalism and democracy in ways that challenge the conventional wisdom, prompt new answers to enduring questions, and urge reconsideration of how we evaluate the legitimacy of referendums.
Download or read book Direct Democracy in Canada written by J. Patrick Boyer and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 1996-07-25 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A well researched analysis of three national referenda in Canada: prohibition in 1898, conscription in 1942, and the Constitution in 1992.
Download or read book Referendums Around the World written by David Butler and published by American Enterprise Institute. This book was released on 1994 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated edition of : Referendums. c1978.
Download or read book Our Scandalous Senate written by J. Patrick Boyer and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2014-05-31 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rocked by extremely public scandals at the highest levels of power, the Canadian Senate is an institution on the defensive. As the upper chamber starts to look more and more like a comfortable private club for has-beens, the real scandal is that the Senate exists at all.
Download or read book Referendums Around the World written by Matt Qvortrup and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-05-05 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Surveying all referendums around the world since 1793, Dr Qvortrup and contributors provide a thorough account of why and when citizens have been asked to vote on policy issues. Referendums Around the World is essential reading for political scientists and others interested in direct democracy as well as representative government.
Download or read book Democratic Reform in New Brunswick written by William Paul Cross and published by Canadian Scholars’ Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Democratic Reform in New Brunswick is a comprehensive collection of research papers written initially for the New Brunswick Commission on Electoral Democracy. The essays provide detailed consideration of the many issues relating to democratic and electoral reform currently on the public policy agenda in Canada. Topics covered include: electoral system change, gender and representational issues, questions relating to party democracy, the role of legislators, concerns around drawing electoral boundaries, fixed election dates, direct democracy, and political disengagement among young voters. All of the essays examine the implications of various reform proposals in these areas and most draw upon the experiences of other jurisdictions in addressing how they might play out in the Canadian context. Many chapters also draw specifically upon the New Brunswick experience in considering how democratic reform might impact upon the province's politics. New Brunswick is Canada's only bilingual province with two vibrant linguistic communities and is in many ways a microcosm of the Canadian state. These readings provide insight into how issues related to democratic and electoral reform may play out on the national stage.
Download or read book Canadian Parties in Transition Fourth Edition written by Alain-G. Gagnon and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2017-01-01 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Canadian Parties in Transition examines the transformation of party politics in Canada and the possible shape the party system might take in the near future. With chapters written by an outstanding team of political scientists, the book presents a multi-faceted image of party dynamics, electoral behaviour, political marketing, and representative democracy. The fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and includes fifteen new chapters and several new contributors. The new material covers topics such as the return to power of the Liberal Party, voting politics in Quebec, women in Canadian political parties, political campaigning, digital party politics, and municipal party politics.
Download or read book The Referendum in Britain written by Lucy Atkinson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-29 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European Union referendum of 23 June 2016 proved to be the trigger for the most prolonged period of political turbulence in the peacetime history of the UK; leading to major policy changes and realignments in the party-political system. This book considers from an historical perspective the democratic device that provided the focus for this upheaval. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, it discusses how the idea of using referendums to resolve major political disputes first came onto the agenda, and why. It considers who advocated it, and in what circumstances. The book describes how referendums eventually came into use from the 1970s onwards, and the different patterns in their deployment in the decades that have followed. Major political figures, from Herbert Henry Asquith and Winston Churchill to Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher; to Tony Blair, David Cameron, and Boris Johnson form part of the story. Governments have come to power and fallen in the context of demands for referendums or the results they produced. The authors provide detailed accounts of each of the 13 major referendums that have taken place. Referendums took place at UK and sub-UK level. They were held on the position of Northern Ireland (1973) and Scotland (2014) within the UK; on devolution to Wales (1979; 1997; 2011) and Scotland (1979; 1979); on the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (1998); on devolution to London (1998) and North East England (2004); on the parliamentary voting system (2011); and on UK participation in European integration (1975; 1975). The book provides a constitutional and international perspective, and ask how far the original ideas lying behind the referendum were fulfilled in practice.
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 Democracy on demand written by Matt Qvortrup and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Direct democracy makes you richer. Research shows that the average citizen earns nearly a $1000 for every referendum held, and that a strong correlation exists between the frequency of referendums and a GDP per capita. Referendums can also improve the quality of democracy. So why don’t we see more? Drawing on a three decades of research, Qvortrup presents a definitive statement on the benefits and history referendums, including examples of how this instrument of democracy has been both utilised and abused. The book outlines the history of referendums, explains when politicians have submitted issues to the voters, why these votes have been won or lost - and ultimately why it matters. Uniquely, the book also examines the role of social media in referendum campaigns and make suggestions for improving the process of direct democracy Written in a lucid style by one of the world’s leading experts on referendums, Democracy on demand is a timely reminder of the importance of democracy in our politics, offering new insights into how direct democracy can both improve our lives and at the same time strengthen our societies.
Download or read book Referendum Democracy written by M. Mendelsohn and published by Springer. This book was released on 2001-09-25 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Elections Today written by and published by . This book was released on 1996-01 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: News from the world of elections.
Download or read book Representation and Democratic Theory written by David Laycock and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With public confidence in representative institutions dropping to distressing levels, it is time for political theorists to reconnect issues of representation to considerations of justice, rights, citizenship, pluralism, and community. Representation and Democratic Theory investigates theoretical and practical aspects of innovative political representation in the early twenty-first century. It reveals the complexity of contemporary political representation and the importance of re-invigorating public life outside legislatures, political parties, and competitive elections. A crucial supplement to empirical studies of conventional political representation this book offers a timely and thought-provoking contribution to contemporary democratic theory. It will be a necessary and welcome addition to the libraries of many political and social scientists.
