Referendums and Representative Democracy

Maija Setälä is an Academy Research Fellow at the University of Turku, Finland. She has studied democratic theory, referendums and deliberative democracy, and has published books and journal articles on these topics.Theo Schiller is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Philipps University Marburg, Germany, and Head of the Centre of Citizen Participation and Direct Democracy. He published books and articles on direct democracy and German and European politics.

• 1. Introduction Maija Setälä Section 1: Referendums and Models of Democracy 2. From People's Veto to Instrument of Elite Consensus: The Referendum Experience in Ireland Bill Kissane 3. Stabilizing or Destabilizing? Direct-Democratic Instruments in Different Political systems Wilfried Marxer and Zoltán Tibor Pállinger 4. Ideological Positions and the Referendum in the Netherlands Ank Michels Section 2: The Demand for Referendums: Strategies and Ideologies 5. To Structure Political Conflict: The Institutionalization of Referendums on European Integration in the Nordic Countries Nick Sitter 6. Elite Motives for Initiating Referendums: Avoidance, Addition and Contradiction Gideon Rahat 7. The Surge of Referendums and the New Politics Approach Tor Bjørklund Section 3: Referendum Campaigns and Voter Behaviour 8. Campaign Tactics and Outcomes in Referendums: A Comparative Analysis Lawrence LeDuc 9. Intense but Useless? Public Debate and Voting Factors in Two Referendums in Spain Joan Font and Elisa Rodríguez 10. Checks and Balances in Swiss Direct Democracy Fritz Sager and Marc Bühlmann 11. Conclusions Theo Schiller