This volume analyses how the use of referendums affects the central functions and characteristics of representative democracy. It provides a balanced account of

Over the last 30 years referendums have played an increasingly important role in determining government policy. Recent high profile referendums in Scotland, Cat

As the referendum becomes a more regular component of decision making, it leaves few, if any, institutions, processes and values of democracy untouched. Politic

Offers a comparative study of the origins, performance, and reform of contemporary mechanisms of direct democracy.

"How can democracies effectively represent citizens? The goal of this Handbook is to evaluate comprehensively how well the interests and preferences of mass pub