For the many or the few : the initiative, public policy, and American democracy / John G. Matsusaka.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Matsusaka, John G.

Series:

American politics and political economy.

American politics and political economy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Referendum--United States.

Referendum.

Democracy--United States.

Democracy.

Fiscal policy--United States.

Fiscal policy.

United States--Politics and government.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (215 p.)

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Direct democracy is alive and well in the United States. Citizens are increasingly using initiatives and referendums to take the law into their own hands, overriding their elected officials to set tax, expenditure, and social policies. John G. Matsusaka's For the Many or the Few provides the first even-handed and historically based treatment of the subject. Drawing upon a century of evidence, Matsusaka argues against the popular belief that initiative measures are influenced by wealthy special interest groups that neglect the majority view. Examining demographic, political, and opinion data, he demonstrates how the initiative process brings about systematic changes in tax and expenditure policies of state and local governments that are generally supported by the citizens. He concludes that, by and large, direct democracy in the form of the initiative process works for the benefit of the many rather than the few. An unprecedented, comprehensive look at the historical, empirical, and theoretical components of how initiatives function within our representative democracy to increase political competition while avoiding the tyranny of the majority, For the Many or the Few is a most timely and definitive work.

Contents:

An American institution

A blizzard of data

Spending and taxes, 1970-2000

For the many or the few

Conservative or liberal

When legislators get out of step

Key episodes in the twentieth century

Majority tyranny and the constitution

Delegation, information, and competition.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-194) and index.

ISBN:

9786611965921

9781281965929

1281965928

9780226510873

0226510875

OCLC:

309278649