REVISTA DE CIENCIA POLГЌTICA / VOLUMEN 29/ NВ° 1 / 2009 / 23 – 55
The Usage Of Government-Initiated Referendums in Latin America. Towards a Theory of Referendum Causes
El uso de los referendos de iniciativa gubernamental en AmГ©rica Latina. Hacia una teorГa las that are sobre del uso de votaciones populares iniciadas por el gobierno
ANITA BREUER
Department of Comparative Politics, University of Cologne
In the last two years there is an increase that is considerable the amount of referendums global. The current literary works on direct democracy has thus far neglected to explain this phenomenon by delivering a frequent theory from the factors behind referendums. This study that is explorative at undertaking actions toward shutting this space by centering on the precise variety of facultative government-initiated referendums (FGIR) and their use within presidential systems. Using QC A (a case-sensitive technique based regarding the formal logic of Boolean algebra), this research methodically compares the political opportunity structures of 49 presidential systems from 12 Latin US nations to detect the factors that spurred or obstructed the event of FGIR. It concludes that FGIR are closely connected to high amounts of celebration system fragmentation and split federal federal government, i.e. two facets which may have for ages been deemed problematic when you look at the context of presidential systems, while their obstruction is especially owed towards the particular provisions that are constitutional the referendum unit.
Keyword Phrases: Referendums, Latin America, Fragmentation, Direct Democracy.
RESUMEN
En las Гєltimas dos dГ©cadas Ma existido alrededor del mundo un considerable aumento en el nГєmero de votaciones populares. No na sabido explicar el fenГіmeno mediante una teorГa consistente de las causas de los referendums sin embargo, la literatura existente sobre democracia directa. Este estudio exploratorio busca dar un paso adelante para cerrar esta brecha, enfocГЎndose en los referendum facultativos iniciados por poderes polГticos formales (facultative government-initiated referendums – FGIR) y su uso en los sistemas presidenciales. Utilizando OCA (tГ©cnica basada en lГіgica formal de ГЎlgebra booleanas), este estudio hace una comparaciГіn sistemГЎtica de la estructura de oportunidades polГticas de 49 sistemas presidenciales de 12 paГses de AmГ©rica Latina, para detectar los factores estimulan that is que obstruyen la ocurrencia de FGIR. Se concluye que los FGIR estГЎn fuertemente ligados a altos niveles de fragmentaciГіn partidaria y gobiernos divididos, dos factores que han sido problemГЎticos en los contextos de sistemas presidenciales. Por su parte, la se that is obstrucciГіn principalmente a provisiones constitucionales especГficas que regulan los dispositivos de las votaciones populares iniciadas por el gobierno.
Palabras Clave: Plebiscito, AmГ©rica Latina, fragmentaciГіn, democracia directa.
I. INTRODUCTION 1
From the 1960s onwards, different countries associated with globe embraced the concept of direct democracy and in the last two years, the program of direct democratic instruments has increased dramatically (LeDuc, 2003). 2 This trend has attracted scholarly attention and over the last https://supersinglesdating.com/omegle-review/ few years, considerable research investigating direct democracy happens to be posted in known journals in the area of governmental technology. To date this literary works has mainly centered on the 2 countries that many often utilize referendums, Switzerland and also the united states of america in the state degree (Ladner and Brandle, 1999; Gerber, 1996; Papadopulos, 2001; Tolbert and Hero, 1996; Vatter and Freitag, 2006), while a smaller sized quantity of magazines have actually centered on the revolution of referendums entailed in the act of European integration (Hug and Sciarini, 2000; Franklin et ah, 1995). These magazines have actually greatly added to the knowledge about the effect of referendums on politics as well as on diverse societal aspects. However, they will have perhaps perhaps not yet produced a theory that is consistent the factors behind referendums. The goal of this paper is always to undertake steps that are initial bridging this gap.
Up To an extent that is large the ‘boom’ in direct democracy could be credited toward the increased quantity of citizen-initiated referendums and, to a smaller degree, mandatory referendums (Morel, 2001) This development happens to be welcomed by advocates of direct democracy whom emphasize the possibility of the tools to foster bottom-up involvement and straight accountability (Barber, 1984; Schmitter, 2000). Nevertheless, on a few occasions, non-mandatory referendums on essential governmental concerns have now been initiated by governing bodies for example. legislatures or executives. Such government-initiated referendums, which can be known as plebiscites, 3 a phrase that holds a slight connotation that is negative mostly retain control of governmental decision-making in the possession of of elected officials.
Despite adding small to the general upsurge in direct democracy, the incident of facultative government-initiated referendums (FGIR) 4 poses a theoretical puzzle (Rahat, 2007).
Even though it is understandable that residents will take part in processes of decision-making when because of the directly to do this, political elites’ usage of direct democratic instruments is harder to grasp. exactly What motivates authorities that are governing initiate referendums? Why should democratically legitimised representatives voluntarily offer up their monopoly to legislate, redistribute energy downwards, equal themselves with ordinary residents in political decision-making, and eventually expose by themselves towards the threat of losing in the ballot field? The central goal of this study that is explorative to give you prospective answers to these concerns.