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Palgrave Macmillan

The Politics of Referendum Use in European Democracies

  • Book
  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Saskia Hollander

    1. Director of Knowledge Management, The Broker, Den Haag, The Netherlands

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  • Provides a cross-country comparison of referendum provisions and their frequency in 28 European countries
  • Uniquely links referendum practices to democratic theory
  • Argues that referendums are instruments for political elites rather than the people

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction: The Politics of Referendum Use in Europe

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 1-26

  3. Referendums and Democratic Theory

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 27-56

  4. Referendums and Institutional Theory

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 57-87

  5. Referendum Provisions and Use in 28 Countries

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 89-112

  6. Referendum Practice in France

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 113-143

  7. Referendum Practice in Denmark

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 145-173

  8. Referendum Practice in the United Kingdom

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 175-204

  9. Referendum Practice in Sweden

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 205-229

  10. Referendum Practice in the Netherlands

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 231-261

  11. Conclusions: The Drivers of Referendum Use in Europe

    • Saskia Hollander
    Pages 263-281

  12. Back Matter

    Pages 283-345
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Keywords

About this book

This book demonstrates that the generally assumed dichotomy between referendums and representative democracy does not do justice to the great diversity of referendum types and of how referendums are used in European democracies. Although in all referendums citizens vote directly on issues rather than letting their political representatives do this for them, some referendums are more direct than others. Rather than reflecting the direct power of the People, most referendums in EU countries are held by, and serve the interests of, the political elites, most notably the executive. The book shows that these interests rarely match the justifications given in the public debate. Instead of being driven by the need to compensate for the deficiency of political parties, decision-makers use referendums primarily to protect the position of their party. In unravelling the strategic role played by national referendums in decision-making, this book makes an unconventional contribution to the debateon the impact of referendums on democracy.

Reviews

​“Hollander’s The Politics of Referendum Use in European Democracies is an inspiring and informed book. It is a rare example of a study that combines scholarship with a popular touch. Both experts and ordinary voters should read this book.” (Matt Qvortrup, author of Government by Referendum and co-editor of The European Political Science Review)

“Hollander’s wonderful book is a feat of topical and high-quality comparative research. Looking at countries such as the UK, France, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, she convincingly shows that European referendums are often elite-driven and better understood as a succession of single-events rather than an ever-growing expression of public power.” (Frank Hendriks, author of Vital Democracy: A Theory of Democracy in Action, and Professor of Comparative Governance at Tilburg University, The Netherlands)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Director of Knowledge Management, The Broker, Den Haag, The Netherlands

    Saskia Hollander

About the author

Saskia Hollander is a political scientist and Director of Knowledge Management at The Broker, a knowledge brokering organisation in the field of inclusive politics and economies, based in The Hague, The Netherlands. Her previous publications include the edited book Creative Crises of Democracy (with J. Gijsenbergh, T. Houwen and W. de Jong, 2012).

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