TITLE:
Direct Democracy: Chances and Challenges
AUTHORS:
Gebhard Kirchgässner
KEYWORDS:
Direct Democracy, Referendum, Initiative, Human Rights, Economic Reforms, Fiscal Sustainability
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Political Science,
Vol.6 No.2,
April
27,
2016
ABSTRACT: This paper discusses several problems of direct popular decisions that are often overlooked in political and scientific debates. In the first part, we consider problems related to the functioning of direct democracy. As a political system, it only makes sense if there exists a continuous process and not if only occasional single questions are brought to a referendum. Then, the relation between direct democracy and the rule of unanimity is discussed, a subject of special relevance to the European Union, before we consider the role of quorums. In the second part, some areas are considered in which conflicts might arise. Results of initiatives might be incompatible with individual human rights or might endanger fiscal sustainability, and referenda might impede economic reforms. All these problems, however, do not justify a general rejection of direct popular rights. Thus, we conclude by listing several points that should be observed to safeguard the well- functioning of direct democracy.