Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review‘”Direct democracy can only fulfill the promise of enhanced civic engagement and genuine democratic will-formation, if the direct-democratic instruments are well-constructed.” Anna Forgács brilliantly demonstrates this core truth about direct democratic mechanisms by focusing on referendum authorization procedures in a mindfully selected number of European states. The book fills a void and is bound to become a cornerstone of studies on the design and legal limits of direct democracy.’ -- Laurence Morel, University of Lille, France
‘Who gets to decide whether a given proposal may be put to a popular vote? How should procedures for making that decision be designed? Based on a huge amount of data and a meticulous analysis of the intricacies of referendum authorization in various European states, this is the first work to address these questions in a systematic way. Highly impressive.’ -- Daniel Moeckli, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Table of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction to Referendum Authorization Procedures in Europe 2. European trends in referendum authorization 3. The legal rules on referendums in the selected states 4. The nature of the referendum authorization procedure 5. Procedural guarantees in referendum authorization 6. Impartiality and independence of the decision-maker 7. Right to a reasoned decision 8. Right to be heard and other participation rights 9. Right to an effective remedy 10. Conclusions on referendum authorization procedures in Europe Bibliography Index
