Demanding choices : opinion, voting, and direct democracy / Shaun Bowler and Todd Donovan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bowler, Shaun, 1958-

Contributor:

Donovan, Todd.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy.

Elections.

Referendum.

Representative government and representation.

Physical Description:

xiv, 198 p. ; 24 cm.

Edition:

1st pbk. ed.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, 2000, c1998.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Referenda on important public policy questions have come to play a central role in policy making in many states. Referenda, or ballot propositions, have resulted in limits on taxation and limits on the number of terms of elected officials, and have dealt with bilingual education, campaign finances, and affirmative action, in states all over the country. Shaun Bowler and Todd Donovan present a searching and original examination of how voters make decisions in direct referenda. The authors ask if voters have some information about the issue easily at their disposal and if they make choices that seem sensible given their interests and the information they have. Looking at the way voters respond to different kinds of questions, the authors suggest that while direct democracy has its failings, the flaws do not necessarily lie with citizens being duped, nor with voters approving propositions they do not want or do not understand at some basic level. As cynicism about government has increased many have sought to take policy questions out of the hands of elected officials and put the questions directly before the voters for decision. And yet many are skeptical about the ability of voters to make intelligent decisions about complex policy issues. This important book demonstrates that voters are capable of responding thoughtfully to referenda questions. This book will appeal to students of contemporary American politics and electoral politics. Shaun Bowler is Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California at Irvine. Todd Donovan is Associate Professor of Political Science, Western Washington University.

Contents:

""Contents""; ""List of Figures""; ""List of Tables""; ""Preface""; ""1. The History of Direct Democracy: A Critique of Voter Competence""; ""2. Reasoning Voters: Sorting through the Demands of Direct Democracy""; ""3. Responding to Demands: Information, Abstention, and Just Saying ""No""""; ""4. Economic Conditions and Voting on Ballot Propositions""; ""5. Private Interests and Instrumental Voting""; ""6. Voter Response to the Initiative Logroll and the Counterproposition""; ""7. Partisan Interests and Campaign Information: Support for Term Limits""

""8. How Campaign Spending Affects Voter Awareness and Opinions of Initiatives""""9. Conclusions about Voter Reasoning in Direct Democracy""; ""Appendix A: Coding of Variables on Private Interests and Voting Behavior""; ""References""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-76101-3

9786612761010

9780472087150

0472087150

0-472-02334-9