Measuring the Potential of Direct Democracy Around the World (1900-2014)
| dc.contributor.author | Altman, David | |
| dc.contributor.organization | V-Dem Institute | sv |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-12-09T08:54:31Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-12-09T08:54:31Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2015 | |
| dc.description | This research project was supported by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Grant M13-0559:1, PI: Staffan I. Lindberg, V- Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. I would like to thank Gustavo Alonso Díaz-Díaz, María Cristina Escudero, Rodrigo Espinoza, and Enrico Padoan for their invaluable research assistance in the form of data collection. I am particularly grateful to Gerry Munck, John Gerring, Joshua Krusell, Kyle Marquardt, Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, and Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen, all of whom provided valuable feedback at various stages of this research. A previous version of this paper was presented at the 110th APSA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, August 28-31, 2014. This paper is framed within FONDECYT’s Regular Project N.1141230 and the Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Stateness and Democracy in Latin America RS.130002. All caveats apply. | sv |
| dc.description.abstract | To what extent is direct democracy achieved in current polities? To answer this question, I develop an index, Direct Democracy Practice Potential (DDPP), which is applied to 200 polities worldwide. This index results from the aggregation of the scores of four types of mechanisms of direct democracy: popular initiatives, popular referendums, obligatory referendums, and authorities’ plebiscites. This index measures: (1) how easy it is to initiate and approve each type of popular vote and (2) how consequential that vote is (if approved). Ease of initiation is measured by: (a) the existence of a direct democracy process, (b) the number of signatures needed, and (c) time limits to collect signatures. Ease of approval is measured by quorums pertaining to: (a) participation, (b) approval, (c) supermajority, and (d) district majority. Consequences are measured by: (a) the legal status of the decision made by citizens (binding or consultative), and (b) the frequency with which direct popular votes have been used and approved in the past. | sv |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2077/41315 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | sv |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | Working Papers | sv |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | 2015:17 | sv |
| dc.title | Measuring the Potential of Direct Democracy Around the World (1900-2014) | sv |
| dc.type | Text | sv |