5. Direct Democracy Defined

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface ix
4. Introduction 1
5. Part I. Democracy Adrift
6. 1. Disconnected by the Administrative State 17
7. 2. Disconnected by Courts 33
8. 3. Disconnected by Legislatures? 41
9. 4. How Disconnected Is Government? 53
10. Part II. Referendums Past and Present
11. 5. Direct Democracy Defined 61
12. 6. Direct Democracy in the United States 66
13. 7. Direct Democracy in Europe 79
14. 8. Direct Democracy in Unexpected Places 89
15. 9. The American Anomaly 99
16. 10. A Work in Progress 109
17. Part III. The Benefits and Risks of Direct Democracy
18. 11. Six Reforms 129
19. 12. A Tale of Two Referendums: Proposition 13 and Brexit 138
20. 13. Potential Benefits of Referendums 154
21. 14. Are Voters Up to the Task? 169
22. 15. The Challenge of Interest Groups 187
23. 16. Protecting Minorities from the Majority 203
24. Part IV. Making Direct Democracy Work
25. 17. A Framework for Deciding Issues 217
26. 18. Best Practices 228
27. 19. Final Thoughts 236
28. Notes 241
29. References 269
30. Index 289