Direct Democracy in Europe: Potentials and Pitfalls

Abstract

Diagnoses of a democratic recession or 'hollowing out' of democracy are numerous and varied but usually encompass the following symptoms: a decline in turnout and other forms of political participation; policy making that is increasingly detached from ordinary citizens and their preferences; and an erosion of trust in government and satisfaction with democracy among citizens -all of which ultimately challenge the legitimacy of democratic institutions. Direct democracy is one of the most prominent, far-reaching and popular remedies proposed in response to such diagnoses. It, by allowing citizens to directly vote on questions usually decided by representatives, seems intuitively appealing as an obvious extension and deepening of democracy. In this article I survey the potentials but also pitfalls of an increased institutionalization of direct democracy and use thereof in the countries of the EU focusing on the three key aspects identified above: representation, turnout and citizens' political support.

The Winner Takes It All: Revisiting the Effect of Direct Democracy on Citizens’ Political Support

“…Despite these strong theoretical claims, empirical evidence on the effects of direct democratic instruments on political support is limited and the available results are mixed (Leininger 2015). 1 In the empirical literature citizen involvement, also using direct democratic processes, is often theorized as more fair than purely representational processes.…”

“…Does the use of a direct democratic process influence political support because of the beneficial effects of its process characteristics or the nature of its outcome? Today in most democracies the use of direct democratic processes is still relatively scarce (Leininger 2015), therefore, we will test our argument within a context with only limited experience with direct votes i.e. Belgium.…”

“…Exactly these characteristics are considered important elements of the participation preferences of contemporary citizens (Stolle and Hooghe 2004). In effect, support for direct democracy is widespread among contemporary citizens (Leininger 2015).…”

“…Despite these strong theoretical claims and a number of prominent empirical studies on the effects of direct democratic processes (e.g. Smith and Tolbert 2004;Smith 2002;Tolbert et al 2003), empirical studies on its effect on citizens' political support remain scarce and the findings are inconsistent (Leininger 2015). Most empirical studies have relied on cross-sectional data to study whether citizens' support is higher in states or cantons in which direct democratic rights or experiences are more extensive (e.g.…”

Conclusion: How to Rule the Void? Policy Responses to a ‘Hollowing Out’ of Democracy

“…Another set of more medium‐term suggestions points to a strengthening of civil society and a greater participation of the electorate in political processes and decisions (cf. Greskovits, ; Leininger, ; White, ; Ruser, ; Mungiu‐Pippidi, ). Suggestions include greater NGO involvement, more use of referenda and forms of deliberative democracy, and new rights for citizens to contest executive decisions (‘right to challenge’) to allow for the accommodation of a wider range of political preferences.…”