Chapters about Germany and Switzerland:
New publication in peer reviewed journal.
THE CITIZENS' INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM:
DIRECT DEMOCRACY IN FIVE COUNTRIES OF EUROPE
A dossier compiled by Michael Macpherson
Accountancy Business and the Public Interest Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006
May be downloaded free from
http://visar.csustan.edu/aaba/aabajourVol5-No1.html
Foreword
The reports which we present here were gathered to illustrate the
progress of five european countries in developing governance beyond the
purely indirect, "representative" sort. Many citizens of western style
societies where democracy is practised are dissatisfied with the limited
participation allowed when, as is usually the case, voting and ballots
are only for political parties and candidates, never about "issues",
matters of real public concern. We will show how, within a few hundred
miles of Britain's shores, "ordinary" people have for many decades been
able to intervene in government, at local and state levels, on issues
which they judge to be vital and which they have selected; when need be,
directing their elected politicians with decisions of the whole
electorate.
The London conference -- see "Acknowledgements" -- which contributed to
this publication had two aims, firstly to supply knowledge about how
direct democracy works in places where it is established or at least
well known. The examples chosen were four countries of western Europe
and one "post communist" country of eastern Europe. The history of
direct democracy, levels of governance involved and legal regulation of
direct democratic procedures vary among the different countries. The
second aim of our conference was to stimulate a debate about the future
role of direct democracy in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
|