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Agenda Setting by Direct Democracy: Comparing the Initiative and the Referendum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

David F. Damore ,
Shaun Bowler  and
Stephen P. Nicholson
David F. Damore*
Affiliation:
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
Shaun Bowler
Affiliation:
University of California, Riverside, USA
Stephen P. Nicholson
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced, USA
*
David F. Damore, Department of Political Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 505 Maryland Parkway, Box 455029, NV 89154, USA Email: david.damore@unlv.edu
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Abstract

Using research on the initiative as a point of comparison, we consider how frequently and for what ends state legislators use the referendum. Akin to initiative use, we find that legislators are constrained by procedural hurdles in their ability to place referendums on the ballot. However, in contrast to research on the initiative, which emphasizes the role of interest groups as the drivers of initiatives, our analysis suggests that referendum use is motivated by partisan legislative majorities seeking to achieve a mix of political and policy goals.

Keywords

direct democracylegislative referendumstate political institutionsstate legislatures
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 367 - 393
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2012

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