Suchergebnisse

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Please check back later for the full article.Referendums are puzzling because they are ubiquitous. Described in the theoretical literature as "veto-player institutions," referendums are used as frequently by autocratic dictators as they are employed in constitutional democracies. As an institution championed by both Hitler and Churchill, as well as Augusto Pinochet and Woodrow Wilson it is not surprising that political scientists of an earlier generation felt that they defied all attempts to develop testable hypotheses and that referendums—in the words of Arend Lijphart from his 1984 book Democracies—"fail to fit any clear universal pattern."More recently, beginning in the 1990s, however scholars from both historical institutional as well as rational choice schools have begun to develop testable propositions as well as they have advanced explanations as to the origins, practice and consequences of the increased use of referendums. Further, in addition to general theories of voting behaviour in referendums, an emerging literature has been established, which has investigated the policy consequences of referendums. These consequences include, lower levels of inequality, higher levels of trust in government and lower levels of public spending. Compared to an earlier period characterised by ideographic single country studies, and a general pessimism regarding the prospect of developing general theories, the study of referendums has entered a 'revolutionary' phase in the Kuhnian sense of the word. While no general paradigm has emerged, scholars are increasingly confident that general recurrent patterns exist and that it is possible to develop law-like statements about the emergence, use, and implications of the use of the referendum.

The importance of information in referendums -- The dynamics of a referendum campaign -- The context of the campaign -- The political parties' campaigns -- The yes and no camps -- The campaign in the news : polls, personalities and the multi-faceted issue -- The campaign in the news -- Elite framing of the issue -- Campaign effects on the public -- Public understanding of the referendum issue -- Polls, strategy news and political cynicism -- Priming public evaluations of political leaders -- Campaign effects on the vote -- The consequences of referendums -- Conclusions

This is the first study to investigate the dynamics and effects of a referendum campaign on politicians, media, and citizens, this innovative volume will be of interest to students and researchers of political communication.

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

"Critics of referendums often lament that big money may buy success at the ballot box. But spending by interest groups may also be informative for citizens. This can only happen, however, if the financing of referendum campaigns is regulated. This book offers an overview of these regulations and presents research on their effects"--Provided by publisher

Referenden sind ein effektives und effizientes Instrument zur Erweiterung und Festigung der präsidialen Macht in den Händen von Präsident Lukasenka geworden. Dieser nutzt geschickt die Nostalgiegefühle vieler Menschen und ihre Sehnsucht nach Stabilität und lenkt mit solchen politischen Spektakeln von den drängenden wirtschaftlichen Problemen ab. In populistischer Weise bedient er sich dabei der Mittel der Basisdemokratie. Mit der formellen Anwendung demokratischer Prinzipien und Prozeduren (Referendum) erreichte der Präsident ein undemokratisches Ziel: die Ausweitung der eigenen Machtposition auf Kosten der demokratischen Gewaltenteilung. (BIOst-Mrk)

EU REFERENDUM for ebook proper -- by same author -- title page -- imprint page -- contents -- acknowledgements -- Untitled -- introduction -- map 1 -- the referendum -- the renegotiation -- history of britain in europe -- map 2 -- how does the eu work -- map 3 -- eu cost -- remain campaign -- leave campaign -- map 4 -- issues - migration -- map 5 -- issues - trade -- issues - sovereignty -- influence security risk -- 3 ees -- scotland -- wales -- n ireland -- irish in the uk -- map 6 -- if we leave -- if we remain -- who supports -- faqs -- timeline -- further reading -- glossary -- appendices -- ers -- luath