
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I. Theory of Referendums I. Theory of Referendums
-
1. The Constitutional Debate 1. The Constitutional Debate
-
2. Referendum and Democracy 2. Referendum and Democracy
-
-
II. Provisions for Referendums II. Provisions for Referendums
-
1. Typologies 1. Typologies
-
2. Country Variations: Existence of Provisions 2. Country Variations: Existence of Provisions
-
3. Country Variations: Types of Referendums 3. Country Variations: Types of Referendums
-
-
III. Practice III. Practice
-
1. History 1. History
-
2. Practice 2. Practice
-
-
IV. Judicial Review IV. Judicial Review
-
1. The Juridicization of the Referendum 1. The Juridicization of the Referendum
-
2. Types of Judicial Review 2. Types of Judicial Review
-
3. Country Profiles 3. Country Profiles
-
-
V. Concluding Remarks V. Concluding Remarks
-
Bibliography Bibliography
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
24 Referendum
Get accessLaurence Morel is Professor of Political Science, Université Lille 2 (CERAPS)
-
Published:21 November 2012
Cite
Extract
The referendum is a device of direct democracy by which the people are asked to vote directly on an issue or policy. It differs from an election, which is a vote to elect persons who will make decisions on behalf of the people, or a recall, by which citizens are given the opportunity to remove from office an elected representative.1 Although this distinction between issue voting and person voting is apparently clear, it may be questioned, such as when the referendum is, formally or de facto, a vote of confidence or about the accession or permanence in power of a person. This is often the case in authoritarian regimes, but it also happens in democratic contexts (eg, the use of referendums by de Gaulle in France). Such referendums are often qualified as ‘plebiscites’, although the word, which goes back to ancient Rome, literally means ‘a law enacted by the common people’ (plebis scitum). Because a plebiscite is commonly regarded as highly manipulative, the term has a negative connotation. The term ‘plebiscite’ is sometimes extended to all government-initiated referendums, especially if ad hoc, insofar as they would automatically trigger a vote of confidence. But the word has also traditionally been used in a more neutral way, to refer to popular votes on sovereignty issues (eg, the so-called plebiscites proposed by the League of Nations after the First World War to settle boundary disputes).2 The word ‘referendum’ appeared much later, possibly in sixteenth-century Switzerland, to indicate the procedure by which delegates to cantonal assemblies submitted certain issues to their constituents for ratification (ad referendum). Here, I use the word in a general sense, which includes all types of popular votes bearing formally on an issue. I prefer the plural ‘referendums’ (as a Latin gerund referendum has no plural), although the form ‘referenda’ is equally accepted by most dictionaries.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 25 |
November 2022 | 10 |
December 2022 | 26 |
January 2023 | 34 |
February 2023 | 17 |
March 2023 | 29 |
April 2023 | 31 |
May 2023 | 17 |
June 2023 | 20 |
July 2023 | 10 |
August 2023 | 16 |
September 2023 | 8 |
October 2023 | 13 |
November 2023 | 12 |
December 2023 | 14 |
January 2024 | 11 |
February 2024 | 5 |
March 2024 | 14 |
April 2024 | 13 |
May 2024 | 9 |
June 2024 | 19 |
July 2024 | 5 |
August 2024 | 11 |
September 2024 | 14 |
October 2024 | 14 |
November 2024 | 17 |
December 2024 | 22 |
January 2025 | 11 |
February 2025 | 9 |
March 2025 | 18 |
April 2025 | 14 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.