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Voters can be sophisticated. In 2018, a majority of the voters in Florida voted for a conservative governor, but they also voted to give prisoners the right to vote, something the Republican Governor had opposed. The voters showed that they were able to distinguish measures from men. Politics is not just about tribal partisanship. Voters demand more choice. And they are able to exercise their judgement. Florida is not unique. This is a global trend. A large majority of voters all over the world – according to opinion polls – want more referendums. But are they capable of making decisions on complex issues? And aren’t such votes an invitation to ill-considered populism? This book answers these questions and shows what the effect of referendums have on public policy, on welfare and well-being, and outlines how some of the criticisms of referendums and initiatives can be remedied.
question will be framed more narrowly, can referendums be compatible with the ideals of deliberative democracy? And, more particularly, if mechanisms can be put in place to facilitate this ideal 2 . In this section, the practice of referendums will be contrasted with other mechanisms such as mini-publics or citizens’ juries (also known as citizens’ assemblies) to see if these can
M801 QVORTRUP TEXT MAKE-UP.qxd 5/4/07 1:42 PM Page 67 Gary Gary's G4:Users:Gary:Public:Gary 5 Top–down politics: e-democracy, citizens’ juries and designer politics What can governments do if the citizens are unwilling to get engaged in politics through the usual channels? In recent years the answer has been provided by two mechanisms: citizen juries and e-democracy. In addition to those mechanisms, governments, in pursuit of votes, arguably, rather than the voters’ opinions, have developed methods and techniques for polling and measuring voter preferences
. In chapter 3 I survey basic tendencies for which there is empirical data, including young people’s alleged political apathy. Chapter 4 considers various issues in protest politics, in particular terrorism, and in chapter 5 I look at how citizens might be engaged through means other than voting in elections (e.g. through e-democracy, citizens’ juries and, above all, designer politics). Discussion then turns, in chapter 6, to electoral politics and the various theories of why people vote and why they vote as they do; consideration is also given to class voting and
Independent Complaints Advisory Service (ICAS). In addition, other forms of soliciting patient opinion, such as citizens’ juries and listening exercises were also utilised. Such a proliferation in the number of bodies claiming to speak for the patient-consumer demonstrated the growing importance of the patient voice within the NHS. Yet, at the same time, importance in policy terms did not necessarily equate to more power for patient-consumers. The presence of these numerous organisations led to concerns about fragmentation of patient representation, especially as many of
. Excursus. Citizens’ juries Another mechanism which has occasionally been proposed is the citizens’ jury. The idea of a citizens’ jury is a simple one really. Instead of relying on tried and tested, adversarial, party politics, the government will select ‘ordinary people’ who – like members of a jury in a court case – will deliberate and make recommendations after they have taken evidence from experts. The idea was inspired by the movement towards so- called deliberative democracy, an idea that took off in the early 1980s, when Joseph Bessette coined the term.74
interested in promoting deliberation amongst citizens, with democratic innovations such as participatory budgeting, citizens’ juries, deliberative polling, and other such initiatives spreading across the world (Fung 2003b , Smith 2009 ). The provision of opportunities for citizens to deliberate about matters of public concern is perceived by policy-makers and reformers as a potential response to widespread disillusionment and disenchantment with the political process. Whether or not particular examples of innovation have had a meaningful effect on the political
the use of more deliberative m echanisms such as citizens’ juries, electronic 120 The search for democratic renewal town hall meetings and participatory budgeting. This was linked to a suggestion for ‘augment[ing] representative democracy with deliberative democracy’ (Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet 2008a, p. 311). Usefully, and also in a clear commitment to transparency, ‘areas of disagreement’ were highlighted at the end of the report. The government’s response was published on 22 April 2009. Rudd argued that the government had already been
-leaning government. After all, many think mechanisms, such as citizen juries, are designed to work precisely when there is political controversy rather than the reverse. Moreover, in trying to introduce more controversial policy choices, more attention needs to be given to implementation, including the ways that policy targets are likely to react. This will require different ways of working, in which think interventions might help build broader acceptance for a more radical political project. One key point is that the changes to politics are much more gradual and less
accessible. M801 QVORTRUP TEXT MAKE-UP.qxd 5/4/07 1:42 PM Page 45 Gary Gary's G4:Users:Gary:Public:Gary An empirical approach 45 Table 3.1 Types of citizen political participation Elite-initiated: reformist Elections, which yield a mandate for change of hitherto existing policies). Example: the British general election in 1945, citizens’ juries, consultations. Citizen-initiated: reformist Demonstrations against the current system or its policies. Example: demonstrations against the war in Iraq in 2003. Elite-initiated: static Elections or referendums, or other