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Consensus and direct democracy: Conceptual and empirical linkages
Author(s) -
Vatter Adrian
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/1475-6765.00531
Subject(s) - democracy , autonomy , power (physics) , direct democracy , government (linguistics) , power sharing , empirical research , political science , public administration , law and economics , sociology , law , epistemology , politics , linguistics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
The first part of this paper draws a number of theoretical connections between various forms of direct democracy and the two types of democracy outlined by Lijphart. Plebiscites and mandatory referendums without quorums of consent are shown to correspond to majoritarian forms of democracy, whilst optional referendums and initiatives with quorums of consent are shown to share similarities with power–sharing forms. The second part of the paper offers an empirical analysis of the different use of citizen–initiated referendums (optional referendums and initiatives) in Switzerland's consensual systems (i.e., cantons) by examining to what extent the various elements of power–sharing are developed. It is argued that referendums and initiatives are used less frequently when government coalitions have greater strength and local autonomy is more developed.