"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 5ο

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 5ο

Giuseppe Rensi  (1995/1902)  La democrazia diretta. Piccola Biblioteca Adelphi

Costretto a rifugiarsi in Svizzera all’indomani della feroce repressione dei moti di Milano del maggio 1898 (i cannoni di Bava Beccaris...), il giovane militante socialista Giuseppe Rensi vi pubblicava nel 1902 la prima edizione di questo libro, che regge benissimo il tempo e sembra riemergere nei momenti più tesi della storia italiana (altre edizioni apparvero nel 1926 e nel 1945). Osservando i caratteri di tre forme di governo (l’antico assolutismo, la monarchia costituzionale e le forme «repubblicane-democratiche moderne»), Rensi si poneva un interrogativo che è rimasto centrale: come impedire che una minoranza organizzata domini sempre una maggioranza disorganizzata? È lo stesso tema che ritroviamo in Gaetano Mosca e Vilfredo Pareto – e già si delineava in Tocqueville. Come sempre, Rensi è magnifico nell’analisi, nell’enucleare le contraddizioni, nel trarre conseguenze da episodi. E la sua critica, spietata e impassibile nei confronti dell’assolutismo e della monarchia costituzionale, non è meno corrosiva quando si appunta sulla democrazia rappresentativa: proprio per salvarla dai suoi mali cronici Rensi introdusse – con un occhio alla confederazione svizzera – il tema, provocatorio allora come oggi, della democrazia diretta. La democrazia diretta apparve per la prima volta nel 1902 col titolo Gli anciens régimes e la democrazia diretta. Lo riproponiamo qui sulla base dell’edizione del 1926, l’ultima licenziata dall’autore.

Urbinati Nadia (2013) Democrazia in diretta. Feltrinelli

In Ungheria il primo ministro fa approvare una riforma che restringe libertà e diritti civili; in Islanda i cittadini ricorrono al sorteggio per eleggere un’assemblea che riscriva la Costituzione; in Italia un movimento antipartito cerca con il web di trasportare la democrazia “in diretta” all’interno della democrazia rappresentativa. C’è da chiedersi che cosa stia succedendo in questi anni alla democrazia. Si può parlare di una vera crisi, nonostante la democrazia sia per definizione un governo della crisi? O non si tratta invece soltanto di una delle molte metamorfosi che questa forma politica ha conosciuto nella sua ricca storia? Nadia Urbinati parte dall’analisi delle mutazioni in atto per capire come sia possibile realizzare oggi la promessa democratica di tenere assieme uguaglianza e libertà politica. La democrazia moderna ha oscillato tra il rischio di degenerazione oligarchica delle sue leadership elette e l’impossibilità di garantire a tutti lo stesso diritto di contare o un’uguale opportunità di voce. Dall’antica polis ateniese fino al contemporaneo videopopulismo, la democrazia è sempre stata un regime instabile, precario, in perpetuo movimento, ma proprio per questo equipaggiato a superare le fasi di rottura e transizione, la perdita di legittimità. Essendo fondata su quell’unità artificiale di concrete diversità che è la sovranità del popolo, ha dovuto affrontare una serie di intrinseci paradossi, inventando periodicamente nuove procedure e nuove istituzioni. Pur restando esposta a minacce come la tirannia della maggioranza, la corruzione dei partiti, la deriva oligarchica dei competenti o quella populistica, continua a essere la forma di governo preferibile per un numero sempre maggiore di persone nel mondo. Questo libro cerca di spiegarne il perché, evidenziando le concrete trasformazioni in corso di cui suggerisce le possibili conseguenze mettendo in guardia da pericoli inediti.

Schiavone Giuseppe (1997) La democrazia diretta: un progetto politico per la società di giustizia .Edizioni Dedalo

Secondo Giuseppe Schiavone, la democrazia rappresentativa e parlamentare nella quale viviamo è solo una forma incompleta di democrazia. La democrazia diretta, assembleare, che ha avuto una prima realizzazione nell'Atene antica ed è stata nuovamente tentata nei Comuni medievali, è la forma compiuta e autentica ed è presente poi, come permanente tensione, in tutta la modernità, dalla Rivoluzione inglese e francese a quella russa dei soviet, alla contestazione degli anni '60, alla perestrojka. Il volume ne studia la storia e il progetto.

Benedikter Thomas (2008) Democrazia diretta: più potere ai cittadini. Un approccio nuovo alla riforma dei diritti referendari. Sonda

La democrazia diretta, come integrazione di quella rappresentativa, è un concetto moderno, cresciuto in un secolo e mezzo di applicazione concreta in vari stati e continuamente in via di perfezionamento in varie realtà del mondo industrializzato e nei paesi in via di sviluppo. Gli strumenti della democrazia diretta consentono ai cittadini di decidere in prima persona, ogni volta che essi lo ritengono urgente e necessario. In Italia negli ultimi 30 anni l'esperienza referendaria ha contribuito a dare un'immagine alquanto riduttiva della democrazia diretta inadeguata a fronteggiare il fenomeno dell'antipolitica. Un saggio che illustra come funziona un sistema di democrazia diretta più completo capace di ampliare le possibilità che consentono ai cittadini organizzati di partecipare pienamente nell'arena politica. Introduzione di Beppe Grillo.

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 5ο

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 5ο

Papadopoulos Yannis (1998) Democratie Directe. Paris: Economica

http://www.domainepublic.ch/articles/2181

Paru à fin 98, un essai de Yannis Papadopoulos resitue historiquement l’institution de la démoratie directe, une invention soi-disant helvétique.
L’auteur démythifie cette démocratie modèle et explore de nouvelles voies.
Les Suisse sont fiers de leurs institutions de démocratie directe. Ils regardent même avec une certaine condescendance les démocraties purement représentatives, en quelque sorte inachevées. Dans son récent ouvrage, Démocratie directe, le politologue Yannis Papadopoulos prend la distance critique nécessaire à une plus juste appréhension de cette forme particulière de gouvernement. Une forme qui n’est ni pire ni meilleure que d’autres, mais simplement nôtre.

La démocratie directe est une idée importée

L’auteur nous rappelle d’abord que les droits populaires existent également ailleurs, même s’ils sont moins étendus que chez nous. De quoi modérer notre suffisance. D’ailleurs l’engouement pour la participation directe du peuple est un peu partout à la hausse, alors que le scepticisme à leur égard tend à se développer en Suisse.
Rappel utile également, la démocratie directe moderne n’est pas une invention helvétique. Sans les idées des Lumières et les débats sur la souveraineté populaire, ouverts par les révolutions française et américaine, la démocratie directe ne se serait pas développée en Suisse au XIXe siècle. Ë charge de revanche, la Suisse servit plus tard d’exemple à l’Amérique lorsque plusieurs de ses États entreprirent de démocratiser leurs institutions. Mais gardons-nous de croire pour autant que ce produit est sans autre exportable. La comparaison avec l’Italie et les États-Unis montre que des droits populaires identiques peuvent induire des effets fort différents.
On sait à quel point la démocratie directe a contribué à l’intégration des différentes forces politiques et sociales, les vaincus du Sonderbund d’abord, la gauche ensuite, et à forger le fameux esprit de consensus. Mais cette même démocratie directe peut également exacerber les antagonismes, favoriser les règlements de compte, exprimer une crise de la représentation, comme semblent le montrer les votations populaires en relation avec le phénomène de mondialisation.
Ce double visage de la démocratie directe, Papadopoulos en fait l’inventaire minutieux, qu’il restitue dans le vieux débat sur le rôle des élites et du peuple, sur l’exigence de participation et celle de gouvernabilité. La démocratie directe est source puissante de légitimation des décisions, mais aussi arme efficace dans les mains des intérêts organisés pour préserver leurs rentes de situation. Les possibilités accrues de participation qu’elle offre n’empêchent pas l’exclusion des groupes sociaux désavantagés. Dans un contexte d’individualisation croissante et d’affaiblissement de la solidarité, elle ne représente pas une garantie pour les droits des minorités.
L’auteur examine des solutions alternatives comme la démocratie électronique, la démocratisation de l’économie, les techniques délibératives et de négociations dans la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques. Aucune ne convainc vraiment. Si Yannis Papadopoulos se garde de nous livrer les clés de la démocratie du futur, du moins nous fournit-il les éléments d’analyse nécessaires à une réflexion collective sur le devenir démocratique du vivre ensemble.

Wolff Fabrice (2010) Qu'Est-Ce Que la Democratie Directe ? éditions anticosiales

http://www.editionsantisociales.com/democratie_directe.php

Dès sa parution à Paris aux premiers jours d’avril 2010, ce bref « manifeste » libertaire pour la démocratie directe (qui s’appuie sur la plus moderne historiographie de la Grèce antique, et parti­culièrement d’Athènes au temps de Périclès et de Démosthène, pour tracer pour la première fois un plan synthétique des institutions fondatrices d’une authentique démocratie sociale : assemblées populaires souveraines fédérées, rotation et contrôle permanents de délégués révocables, « justice des plus démunis ») a eu une influence déterminante, par l’ampleur des discussions et la cascade de réactions qu’il a suscitées chez ses premiers lecteurs, sur l’ensemble du spectacle « politique » en France (où dans une délirante surenchère populiste, la « démocratie directe » s’est vue soudain inscrite aux listes de fausses promesses d’une myriade de petits partis, depuis le NPA néo-trotskiste jusqu’au Bloc Identitaire néonazi, en passant par le Parti pour la décroissance, écologiste-puritain, l’ex-Modem, catholique-libéral, la Droite populaire, crypto-fasciste, et même une croquignolesque Alliance royale, monarchiste ; les partis dits « de gouvernement » étant restés les seuls à ne pas s’y risquer, quoique le sujet ait été âprement débattu au plus haut sommet du Front National, l’ambitieux parti des nostalgiques de l’ordre colonial et des délateurs anonymes), et sur le mouvement social en Europe et au-delà (où la démocratie directe est cette fois expérimentée dans la pratique quand elle n’est pas déjà explicitement revendiquée par la rue, comme en Grèce ou au Québec). Il n’y a pas lieu de s’étonner de ce double phénomène : là en effet où la base prolétarisée (et la jeunesse en particulier) ne peut que s’enthousiasmer à la perspective clarifiée d’une véritable « souveraineté populaire », fondée notamment sur le rejet du « système des partis » compris comme système d’illusions idéologiques et de mensonges démagogiques, tous ces partis ou fragments de parti ne pouvaient au contraire que s’en alarmer, et se convaincre de l’urgente nécessité de se porter sur le terrain même de la menace – qu’ils croyaient définitivement ensevelie dans la fosse commune des « idéaux de Mai 68 » – pour la combattre avec l’arme dont ils sont les experts incontestés : la « récupération », ce mélange de plagiat, de falsification et de dissimulation, cocktail détonant de provocation politique et de petit commerce, dont le chef-d’œuvre le plus abouti reste l’ignoble faux antisémite Les Protocoles des Sages de Sion, devenu modèle littéraire pour plusieurs générations d’écrivains ratés, universitaires, journalistes, petits profs, qui vivent en parasites des idées nouvelles qu’ils ont pour mission d’asservir et d’exploiter, comme on fait du prolétariat dont elles émanent nécessairement. On sait cependant que si l’enseignement moderne a multiplié la quantité de ces contremaîtres de la pensée, il est très loin d’en avoir amélioré la qualité ; de sorte que là où quelques truqueurs habiles suffisaient à enchaîner des millions d’esprits révoltés, mille récupérateurs diplômés ne suffisent plus aujourd’hui à détourner de son cours le nouveau mouvement révolutionnaire mondial, dont ce livre annonçait l’irruption imminente, en définissant aussi bien sa cause la plus immédiatement fédératrice (l’exigence d’une « démocratie réelle » et non plus illusoire et mensongère) que les conditions de sa victoire (« il faudra, pour vaincre, un mouvement international ou qui, commencé à un endroit, s’internationalise rapidement. Il faudra des armes, il faudra la complicité ou la passivité d’une partie des armées »). Rien n’est gagné, bien sûr ; mais déjà la réalité s’insurge partout contre la dictature de la représentation, avec pour seules premières armes les nouvelles technologies de communication, initialement forgées comme chaînes et comme mouchards. Divers fragments de ce livre avaient été très vite publiés sur Internet par quelques-uns de ses premiers lecteurs, sans qu’ils parviennent évidemment à enrayer les grandes manœuvres de tous ceux qui au contraire ont trouvé leur intérêt à en falsifier et/ou dissimuler le contenu ; et le fait que le texte intégral soit désormais offert gratuitement en ligne, dans une version rigoureusement conforme à l’original imprimé, ne saurait pas davantage y suffire : mais participe assurément de cette insurrection.

Verhulst Jos, Nijeboer Arjen (2007) Directe democratie: feiten, argumenten en ervaringen omtrent het referendum. Democracy International

http://www.referendumplatform.nl/share/files/9_414936/Verhulst-Nijeboer-Directe-democratie.pdf

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 4ο

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 4ο

Bernhard Laurent (2012) Campaign Strategy in Direct Democracy.  Palgrave MacMillan

This book takes a fresh look at direct democracy by exploring how political actors run direct-democratic campaigns. It is the first study of comparative direct-democratic campaigning and examines eight campaigns on four salient policy domains: immigration, health politics, welfare state issues, and economic liberalism centring on the world's champion par excellence of direct-democracy, Switzerland. Bernhard derives much of his analysis through interviews conducted with campaign managers providing first-hand accounts that offer unprecedented access into the organisation and strategy behind direct-democratic campaigns. Campaign Strategy in Direct Democracy is essential reading for students and scholars of political communication and political science. 

Smith Daniel and  Tolbert Caroline (2004) Educated by Initiative: The Effects of Direct Democracy on Citizens and Political Organizations in the American States. University of Michigan Press

"This body of research not only passes academic muster but is the best guidepost in existence for activists who are trying to use the ballot initiative process for larger policy and political objectives."
--Kristina Wilfore, Executive Director, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and Foundation

Educated by Initiative moves beyond previous evaluations of public policy to emphasize the educational importance of the initiative process itself. Since a majority of ballots ultimately fail or get overturned by the courts, Smith and Tolbert suggest that the educational consequences of initiative voting may be more important than the outcomes of the ballots themselves. The result is a fascinating and thoroughly-researched book about how direct democracy teaches citizens about politics, voting, civic engagement and the influence of special interests and political parties. Designed to be accessible to anyone interested in the future of American democracy, the book includes boxes (titled "What Matters") that succinctly summarize the authors' data into easily readable analyses.

Smith Daniel (1998) Tax Crusaders and the Politics of Direct Democracy. Routledge

Daniel A. Smith exposes the truth about the American tax revolt. Contrary to conventional wisdom, recent ballot initiatives to limit state taxes have not been the result of a groundswell of public outrage; rather, they have been carefully orchestrated from the top down by professional tax crusaders: political entrepreneurs with their own mission.
These faux populist initiatives--in contrast to genuine grassroots movements--involve minimal citizen participation. Instead, the tax crusaders hire public relations firms and use special interest groups to do the legwork and influence public opinion. Although they successfully tap into the pervasive anti-tax public mood by using populist rhetoric, these organizations serve corporate interests rather than groups of concerned neighbors. The author shows that direct democracy can, ironically, lead to diminished public involvement in government.
Smith looks at the key players, following the trail of money and power in three important initiatives: Proposition 13 in California (1978), Proposition 2 1/2 in Massachusetts (1980), and Amendment 1 in Colorado (1992). He provides a thorough history of tax limitation movements in America, showing how direct democracy can be manipulated to subvert the democratic process and frustrate the public good.

Sisodia Yatindra Singh (2007) Experiment of Direct Democracy: Gram Swaraj in Madhya Pradesh. Rawat Publications

"Village communities have been in existence in India for over centuries and panchayats have been an intimate part of the Indian culture. Panchayat system is one of the unique democratic institutions evolved in India by country’s own genius and ethos. The post-73rd amendment phase has generated immense interest among the observers and experts who were keen to understand this significant change in the pattern of governance at the grassroots level. In the continuation of the process of strengthening institutional governance at local level, an innovation of Gram Swaraj system was introduced in Madhya Pradesh in 2001. The book is an attempt to identify, document and comprehend the broad trends emanating from the field, based on the experience of three years functioning of Gram Swaraj in Madhya Pradesh. Three years is a short span of time for the dust to settle from such radical changes. However, it is important to understand and analyse the process and direction of institutionalization.

Johnston Richard, Blais André (1996) Challenge of Direct Democracy: The 1992 Canadian Referendum. McGill-Queen's University Press

Charlottetown Accord, a comprehensive package of constitutional amendments that was the product of years of negotiation, consultation, and compromise. Canadians rejected it outright, effectively halting the country's formal constitutional evolution. But what did the No vote mean? Were voters making a considered judgment after thorough consideration of the package or were they expressing their anger with politicians, particularly Prime Minister Brian Mulroney? The Challenge of Direct Democracy provides the definitive account of the 1992 referendum on the Charlottetown Accord.

Cowen Nick (2008) Total Recall: How Direct Democracy Can Improve Britain. Civitas

Members of Parliament have traditionally enjoyed total legislative supremacy in the United Kingdom, able to pass or rescind any law of the land. Most citizens of Britain probably think that this is still the case. However, in this worrying examination of the dilution of the sovereignty of parliament by its own members, Nick Cowen shows how they have slowly ceded their powers to ministers, government agencies and the European Union. In 2006, parliament almost abolished itself by accident. Many of the laws that govern the lives of people in Britain are made by people who never have to stand for election, and who may not even live in the country. This is a serious threat to the Mother of Parliaments, and to the liberty of the people. However, given the craven willingness of MPs to delegate their powers, what is the remedy? Direct democracy, as developed in Switzerland and especially the USA, allows citizens to stay in charge even after Election Day. Through the use of referendums, initiatives, recalls, termlimits, local charters and grand juries, citizens are able to put a break on bad laws, dispose of politicians who betray their election promises and eject officials found helping themselves from the public purse. Nick Cowen argues that we should introduce these mechanisms to the UK to ensure a more accountable government and, more importantly, a government that can't hand its powers to anyone other than back to the people of Britain.

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 3ο

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 3ο

Schiller Theo (2011) Local Direct Democracy in Europe. Springer

The interdisciplinary series will present studies on direct democracy in theory and empirical research in modern Europe on the local, national, and European level.
Subjects will include country reports, legal aspects, special referendums, comparative studies, and analyses of policy impacts and the contribution of direct democracy to the development of democratic systems.

Baldassare Mark,  Katz Cheryl (2007) The Coming Age of Direct Democracy: California's Recall and Beyond. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

This book examines the new, hybrid democracy that has been taking shape in California since the historic recall of Gov. Gray Davis and election of former actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003. During the recall and its aftermath, California has reached unprecedented levels of use of direct democracy, in which public policy decisions are made by voters at the ballot box, rather than by elected representatives in the legislature. Driven by Californians' long-standing populism and distrust of government, a new form of governance is emerging: one that seeks to avoid the pitfalls of party politics and influence by special interest groups that plague representative democracy, by increasing the role of voters at the ballot box. This book analyzes the hybrid democracy that has developed under Gov. Schwarzenegger, and how his leadership has encouraged its growth. Using the Public Policy Institute of California Statewide Surveys, which include interviews with more than 150,000 Californians, the authors detail the transformation in the state's political climate and the public attitudes behind this change. The authors conclude that this transformation will likely take place in other states, perhaps even nationwide, and offer recommendations for ways to improve policymaking in a hybrid democracy.

Shaun Bowler, Donovan Todd, Tolbert Caroline (1998) Citizens as Legislators: Direct Democracy in the United States. Ohio State University Press

Early in the twentieth century, many American states began experimenting with direct democracy. Direct democracy -- primarily the initiative device -- allows groups to place directly before voters laws affecting taxation, spending, term limits, school choice, gay rights, immigration, and numerous other state issues. Ballot initiatives were expected to allow citizens the option of getting around legislators, who were seen as beholden to wealthy interests; early defenders of the process argued it would make state politics more responsive to the public will, and more responsible. Citizens as Legislators examines direct democracy in America at the end of the twentieth century to see if it has lived up to these expectations.

The seven contributors to this volume use the American experience with direct democracy to investigate some fundamental questions of politics: Can modern democracy have direct citizen participation in legislation? What are the consequences of more (or less) direct citizen access to government?

The authors look at the context of initiative campaigns and detail the rise of the modern initiative campaign industry. They examine how campaigns affect voters and how voters deal with the array of decisions they face in direct democracy states. They go on to explain why certain policy outcomes are different in direct democracy states.

Miller Kenneth (2009) Direct Democracy and the Courts.  Cambridge University Press

Who should have the last word on fundamental policy issues? This book analyzes the rise of two contenders the people, through direct democracy, and the courts. Introduced in the U.S. during the Progressive Era and now available in nearly half the states, direct democracy has surged in recent decades. Through ballot measures, voters have slashed taxes, mandated government spending, imposed term limits on elected officials, enacted campaign finance reform, barred affirmative action, banned same-sex marriage, and adopted many other controversial laws. In several states, citizens now bypass legislatures to make the most important policy decisions. However, the people s rule is not absolute. This book demonstrates that courts have used an expanding power of judicial review to invalidate citizen-enacted laws at remarkably high rates. The resulting conflict between the people and the courts threatens to produce a popular backlash against judges and raises profound questions about the proper scope of popular sovereignty and judicial power in a constitutional system.

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 2ο

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 2ο

Cronin Thomas (1999) Direct Democracy: The Politics of Initiative, Referendum, and Recall. iUniverse

A decade ago, as we celebrated the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitutions ratification, we were mindful that the founding fathers were fearful of direct democracy; virtuous representatives were to be at the center of the new political experiment. Ballot democracy, populist democracy, democracy by initiative, referendum, and recall however one labels it is only one hundred years old in the United States and has been in and out of fashion during that time. At the writing of this book there was a resurgence of interest in new kinds of forces trying to overturn legislative and executive fiat by direct ballot. In this book Thomas Cronin suggests why this is so, how it is working, and what should be done. Cronin examines the use of the initiative and referendum offered in twenty-six states over the years including some very difficult issues such as tax caps on spending, the death penalty, pornography, prayer in schools, abortion and homosexual rights and he makes sense out of the sponsors motives and the voters reactions. Through the analysis of hundreds of reports, studies, hearings, polls, and interviews that cover the country from Maine to California, he provides evidence to assess the state of participatory democracy what happens when people decide to take charge after they perceive that their elected officials have failed to understand them.

Bowler Shaun, Donovan Todd Andrew  (1998) Demanding Choices: Opinion, Voting, and Direct Democracy.University of Michigan Press

Referenda on important public policy questions have come to play a central role in policy making in many states. Referenda, or ballot propositions, have resulted in limits on taxation and limits on the number of terms of elected officials, and have dealt with bilingual education, campaign finances, and affirmative action, in states all over the country.

Shaun Bowler and Todd Donovan present a searching and original examination of how voters make decisions in direct referenda. The authors ask if voters have some information about the issue easily at their disposal and if they make choices that seem sensible given their interests and the information they have. Looking at the way voters respond to different kinds of questions, the authors suggest that while direct democracy has its failings, the flaws do not necessarily lie with citizens being "duped," nor with voters approving propositions they do not want or do not understand at some basic level.

As cynicism about government has increased many have sought to take policy questions out of the hands of elected officials and put the questions directly before the voters for decision. And yet many are skeptical about the ability of voters to make intelligent decisions about complex policy issues. This important book demonstrates that voters are capable of responding thoughtfully to referenda questions.

Boyer Patrick (1996) Direct Democracy in Canada: The History and Future of Referendums. Dundurn Group

Direct Democracy in Canada: The History and Future of Referendums surveys Canada's century-long record of plebiscites and referendums. J. Patrick Boyer analyzes the effects of the three national referendums and the development of a consensus. This companion volume to The People's Mandate studies some of the major provincial and municipal referendums, examines existing legal frameworks and speculates on the future of direct democracy in Canada.

Bruce Iain (2004) The Porto Alegre Alternative: Direct Democracy in Action. Pluto Press

Porto Alegre in Brazil is famous as the city that pioneered a revolutionary kind of local democracy. Started over a decade ago by the municipal administration of the Brazilian Workers' Party (PT), this process -- called the 'participatory budget' -- has steadily attracted attention from around the world, including the UN and even the financial press. It was the main reason Porto Alegre came to host the first three World Social Forums in 2001, 2002 and 2003. This is the first book in English that allows the creators of the participatory budget to explain the process for themselves -- what it is, how it is achieved, what benefits it brings. Written by key figures from Porto Alegre -- including the former mayor and the head of the City Planning Office -- it provides a unique insight into the revolutionary democratic changes that have proved such a success. It is also a practical how-to-do-it guide that will help local communities and policy-makers put these ideas into action.The Porto Alegre experience shows that a truly different kind of political democracy is possible -- it presents a real alternative to the current model of liberal representative democracy that has been eroded by unelected transnational institutions and multinational corporations. This book shows how a more positive and genuinely democratic future is within our reach.

"ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 1ο

 "ΑΜΕΣΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ΞΕΝΟΓΛΩΣΣΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ. ΜΕΡΟΣ 1ο

Fossedal Gregory (2005) Direct Democracy in Switzerland Transaction Publishers

Only one country in the world--Switzerland--is a direct democracy, in which, to an extent, the people pass their own laws, judge the constitutionality of statutes, and even have written, in effect, their own constitution. In this propitious volume, Gregory Fossedal reports on the politics and social fabric of what James Bryce has called "the nation that has taken the democratic idea to its furthest extent." The lessons Fossedal presents, at a time of dissatisfaction with the role of money and privileged elites in many Western democracies, are at once timely and urgent.

Altman David (2010) Direct Democracy Worldwide. Cambridge University Press

Challenging the common assumption that models of direct democracy and representative democracy are necessarily at odds, Direct Democracy Worldwide demonstrates how practices of direct and representative democracy interact under different institutional settings and uncovers the conditions that allow them to coexist in a mutually reinforcing manner. Whereas citizen-initiated mechanisms of direct democracy can spur productive relationships between citizens and political parties, other mechanisms of direct democracy often help leaders bypass other representative institutions, undermining republican checks and balances. The book also demonstrates that the embrace of direct democracy is costly, may generate uncertainties and inconsistencies, and in some cases is easily manipulated. Nonetheless, the promise of direct democracy should not be dismissed. Direct democracy is much more than a simple, pragmatic second choice when representative democracy seems not to be working as expected. Properly designed, it can empower citizens, breaking through some of the institutionalized barriers to accountability that arise in representative systems.

Kaplan Temma (2004) Taking Back the Streets: Women, Youth, and Direct Democracy.  University of California Press

Toward the end of the twentieth century in places ranging from Latin America and the Caribbean to Europe, the United States, South Africa, Nigeria, Iran, Japan, China, and South Asia, women and young people took to the streets to fight injustices they believed they could not confront in any other way. In the hope of changing the way politics is done, they called officials to account for atrocities they had committed and unjust laws they had upheld. They attempted to drive authoritarian governments from power by publicizing the activities these officials tried to hide. This powerful book takes us into the midst of these movements to give us a close-up look at how a new generation bore witness to human rights violations, resisted the efforts of regimes to shame and silence young idealists, and created a vibrant public life that remains a vital part of ongoing struggles for democracy and justice today.

Through personal interviews, newspaper accounts, family letters, and research in the archives of human rights groups, this book portrays women and young people from Argentina, Chile, and Spain as emblematic of others around the world in their public appeals for direct democracy. An activist herself, author Temma Kaplan gives readers a deep and immediate sense of the sacrifices and accomplishments, the suffering and the power of these uncommon common people. By showing that mobilizations, sometimes accompanied by shaming rituals, were more than episodic—more than ways for societies to protect themselves against government abuses and even state terrorism—her book envisions a creative political sphere, a fifth estate in which ordinary citizens can reorient the political practices of democracy in our time.

 Gerber Elisabeth, Lupia Arthur (2000) Stealing the Initiative: How State Government Responds to Direct Democracy. Pearson

This book uses eleven recent California initiatives and referendums to provide readers with a set of analytical tools and examples that will help them better understand real politics. It clarifies the public consequences, and studies the great variations of what happens to initiatives that win on Election Day and withstand judicial review. Research is presented in an effective and efficient manner, along with key factors that lead policy actors to implement and enforce initiatives and referendums fully, partially, and not at all--a social phenomenon that affects our lives in fundamental ways. A wide range of policy areas cover tobacco tax, transportation, legislative spending provision, term limits provision, open primaries, and bilingual education. This book also includes varied conclusions about how to reform the initiative process to improve direct democracy. For citizens who want to understand and/or increase their role in government