DOCSLIB.ORG

Marriott Library Unrequired Reading

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Marriott Library Unrequired Reading Marriott Library Unrequired Reading http://dream.lib.utah.edu/services/prog/unreq/fb/3mp_demac.html GET HELP | LIBRARY CATALOG | ARTICLE DATABASES | WEBCT | Search Library Website Go STUDENT LABS | DONATE return to: Marriott Picks | UnRequired Reading Marriott Library Home DEMOCRACY, ACTIVISM, AND ACTIVISTS These books were on display in the Marriott Library as part of the Library's September Project events in 2005. For more information about the September Project see http://www.theseptemberproject.org View Printable List (PDF) A to Z of American women leaders and activists . By Donna Langston. Facts on File, 2002. HQ1412 .L36 2002; Level 2. …biographical sketches of a group of racially, ethnically, socially, and regionally diverse women from many reform movements.—Choice The Activist's Handbook: A Primer Updated Edition with a New Preface by Randy Shaw . University of California Press, 1996. HN65 .S48 1996; Level 1. In an age of escalating human need, The Activist's Handbook is an invaluable tool. It's a user-friendly primer to fighting back, effecting change, and making a difference, written by someone with the right blend of pragmatism and disgruntlement, someone who's not afraid to stand in the front line with a banner and who yet recognizes that wilier tactics are sometimes needed. —Earth Island Journal Beating the system: using creativity to outsmart bureaucracies by Russell L. Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin. Berrett-Koehler, 2005. HM806 .A35 2005; Browsing, Level 3. Who better to teach ways to defeat "the system" than the people who taught how to construct t it in the first place? Ackoff and Rovin, retired Wharton School professors, provide a humorous account of various ways of either thwarting or circumventing bureaucrats.-- CIO Insight Building America : the democratic promise of public work by Harry Chatten Boyte and Nancy N. Kari. Temple University Press, 1996. HD5713.6.U54 B69 1996; Level 1. Public work is defined as the work of diverse groups of people who together make things of value and importance for themselves and others. Such work, whether paid or unpaid, meets people's desire for creative, meaningful occupation and, the authors argue, can be used to solve community problems, renew public spirit, and overcome America 's growing racial divide.—Choice Canaries on the rim: living downwind in the West by Chip Ward. Verso, 1999. GE155.G74 W37 1999; Level 1 and Browsing, Level 3. 1 of 6 4/16/09 3:18 PM Marriott Library Unrequired Reading http://dream.lib.utah.edu/services/prog/unreq/fb/3mp_demac.html This is the new classic tale of American heroism that not enough people are telling: how ordinary citizens in small towns, reservations, and remote regions take on the military and industrial sites contaminating us with a free hand and how sometimes the little guys win.— Rebecca Solnit, author of Savage Dreams and A Book Of Migrations Citizen Indians: Native American intellectuals, race, and reform by Lucy Maddox. Cornell University Press, 2005. E78.T77 M33 2005; Level 1. Lucy Maddox's Citizen Indians brings to life the active work done by Native American intellectuals on behalf of uplift, progressive reform, of universally conceived Indian rights as well as specific tribal concerns.—Werner Sollors, Harvard University. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau . In Walden, and Civil disobedience. Authoritative texts, background, reviews, and essays in criticism, edited by Owen Thomas, by Henry David Thoreau. W. W. Norton, 1966. PS3048 .A1 1966; Level 2. More than any other piece of American writing, " Civil Disobedience " inspired and authorized the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War protest movement, and the student unrest of the sixties. —American Scholar. Crazy for democracy: women in grassroots movements by Temma Kaplan . Routledge, 1997. HN49.W6 K36 1997; Level 2. Crazy for Democracy uses personal and organizational case studies of community-based social movements in the United States and South Africa to demonstrate the ways in which women are key actors in promoting direct democracy and are struggling to improve conditions for their communities .— Political Science Quarterly Culture jam: the uncooling of America by Kalle Lasn . Eagle Brook, 1999. P94.6 .L37 1999; Level 2. Like Adbusters, the magazine that Lasn founded and publishes, Culture Jam both mocks consumer capitalism and reveals how powerfully it influences our lives. —Sierra Democracy and distrust : A theory of judicial review by John Hart Ely. Harvard University Press, 1980. KF4575 .E4; Level 2. John Hart Ely 's classic book has helped to shape the intellectual agenda of constitutional scholars ever since it appeared.—Stanford Law Review Democracy and the problem of free speech by Cass R. Sunstein. The Free Press, 1993. JC591 .S86 1993, Level 2. The author, professor of jurisprudence and political science at the Univ. of Chicago , outlines a general understanding of the purposes of a system of free expression. His objective is to reassess the appropriate role of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, our most precious constitutional right, in the contemporary democratic process in the light of modern economic and technological changes.—Choice Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville. [various editions] JK216 .T7, Level 2. "No better study of a nation's institutions and culture than Tocqueville's Democracy in America has ever been written by a foreign observer; none perhaps as good."—The New York Times The Fire This Time : Young Activists and the New Feminism by Vivien Labaton, and Dawn Lundy Martin. Anchor Books, 2004. HQ1111 .F47 2004; Level 2. Labaton and Martin, the former director and cofounder, respectively, of the Third Wave Foundation, let us know from the beginning that their goal is to bring us all closer to gender equity.—Library Journal The First Amendment, 1791-1991: two hundred years of freedom by James E. Leahy. McFarland & Co., 1991. KF4558 1st .L4 1991; Level 2. 2 of 6 4/16/09 3:18 PM Marriott Library Unrequired Reading http://dream.lib.utah.edu/services/prog/unreq/fb/3mp_demac.html Leahy has produced a commendable survey of First Amendment cases and issues. Covering religion, both free exercise and establishment, speech, assembly and petition, association, and press, the cases in each subject area are summarized, if not analyzed.—Choice Free speech in the college community by Robert M. O'Neil. Indiana University Press, 1997. LC72.2 .O54 1997; Level 2. O'Neil's book deals with campus speech codes, speech and technology, off-campus speech, groups (gays, Greeks), free press, artistic expression, academic freedom, religious speech, and freedom of speech at private institutions.—Choice Gag rule: on the supression of dissent and the stifling of democracy by Lewis H. Lapham. The Penguin Press, 2004. JC599.U5 L33 2004; Level 2. ''Gag Rule'' is a lively political pamphlet written in the tradition of Thomas Paine's ''Common Sense.'' Full of examples of the post-Sept. 11 chill on dissent, it takes aim not only at the politics of fear, but also at institutions and social phenomena that bolster an American tyranny of the easily manipulated majority, from media passivity to craven consumerism to political correctness of the right and left.—New York Times Generation at the crossroads: apathy and action on the American campus by Paul Rogat Loeb. Rutgers University Press, 1994. LA229 .L62 1994; Level 2. Loeb seeks to demonstrate that only students who sit-in, act-up, or march-on can realize their full human potential.—Public Interest Going local: creating self-reliant communities in a global age by Michael H. Shuman. Free Press, 1998. HC110.E5 S49 1998, Level 1. …some interesting case studies and creative ideas about strengthening the economy and sense of ownership in local communities from small villages to large cities… Of particular interest is a lengthy topical appendix that identifies organizational resources on every subject from appropriate technology to urban development.—Choice The good fight: declare your independence & close the democracy gap. / Ralph Nader . ReganBooks, 2004. E905 .N33 2004; Level 1. …Nader, a Harvard-trained lawyer, offers his case that virtually all of America's woes can be traced to the rise and growing power of what he calls multinational corporate predators.—New York Times A history of hope: when Americans have dared to dream of a better future by James W. Fraser. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002 . E179 .F83 2002; Level 1. This book is a paean to select individuals and groups who have defied great odds and opposition and who, in the author's opinion, have ultimately enriched the mosaic of American life by their courageous examples.—Choice Hope's horizon: three visions for healing the American land by Chip Ward . Island Press/Shearwater Books, 2004. QH76 .W37 2004 Browsing, Level 3. From alliances working to reunite America's native habitats to people dedicated to deconstructing the dam that flooded Glen Canyon in order to create Lake Powell to Native American elders educating nuclear engineers about the dangers of and alternatives to this threatening technology, Ward paints an encouraging, if cautionary, portrait of the movement toward a more responsible ecological paradigm.—Booklist How to change the world: social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas by David Bornstein. Oxford University Press, 2004. HN18 .B6363 2004; Level 2. Well-documented cases of grassroots entrepreneurial activities to tackle such diverse social problems as child abuse, disability, illiteracy, and environmental degradation give life to [this book ].—Business Week 3 of 6 4/16/09 3:18 PM Marriott Library Unrequired Reading http://dream.lib.utah.edu/services/prog/unreq/fb/3mp_demac.html The Impossible will take a little while: a citizen's guide to hope in a time of fear by Paul Rogat Loeb . Basic Books, 2004. HN65 .I46 2004; Browsing, Level 3. …this collection of essays focuses on finding the courage to persist in activism in the face of despair [Terry Tempest Williams is one of the contributors].—Sierra Intellectual freedom: a reference handbook by John B.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Political Companion to Henry David Thoreau
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge Literature in English, North America English Language and Literature 6-11-2009 A Political Companion to Henry David Thoreau Jack Turner University of Washington Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Turner, Jack, "A Political Companion to Henry David Thoreau" (2009). Literature in English, North America. 70. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_english_language_and_literature_north_america/70 A Political Companion to Henr y David Thoreau POLITIcaL COMpaNIONS TO GREat AMERIcaN AUthORS Series Editor: Patrick J. Deneen, Georgetown University The Political Companions to Great American Authors series illuminates the complex political thought of the nation’s most celebrated writers from the founding era to the present. The goals of the series are to demonstrate how American political thought is understood and represented by great Ameri- can writers and to describe how our polity’s understanding of fundamental principles such as democracy, equality, freedom, toleration, and fraternity has been influenced by these canonical authors. The series features a broad spectrum of political theorists, philoso- phers, and literary critics and scholars whose work examines classic authors and seeks to explain their continuing influence on American political, social, intellectual, and cultural life. This series reappraises esteemed American authors and evaluates their writings as lasting works of art that continue to inform and guide the American democratic experiment.
    [Show full text]
  • Direct Democracy an Overview of the International IDEA Handbook © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008
    Direct Democracy An Overview of the International IDEA Handbook © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008 International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council members. The map presented in this publication does not imply on the part of the Institute any judgement on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement of such boundaries, nor does the placement or size of any country or territory reflect the political view of the Institute. The map is created for this publication in order to add clarity to the text. Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: International IDEA SE -103 34 Stockholm Sweden International IDEA encourages dissemination of its work and will promptly respond to requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications. Cover design by: Helena Lunding Map design: Kristina Schollin-Borg Graphic design by: Bulls Graphics AB Printed by: Bulls Graphics AB ISBN: 978-91-85724-54-3 Contents 1. Introduction: the instruments of direct democracy 4 2. When the authorities call a referendum 5 Procedural aspects 9 Timing 10 The ballot text 11 The campaign: organization and regulation 11 Voting qualifications, mechanisms and rules 12 Conclusions 13 3. When citizens take the initiative: design and political considerations 14 Design aspects 15 Restrictions and procedures 16 Conclusions 18 4. Agenda initiatives: when citizens can get a proposal on the legislative agenda 19 Conclusions 21 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Liberalism, Marxism and Democratic Theory Revisited: Proposal of a Joint Index of Political and Economic Democracy
    brazilianpoliticalsciencereview ARTICLE Liberalism, Marxism and Democratic Theory Revisited: Proposal of a Joint Index of Political and Economic Democracy Angelo Segrillo Department of History, University of São Paulo Liberalism and Marxism are two schools of thought which have left deep imprints in sociological, political and economic theory. They are usually perceived as opposite, rival approaches. In the field of democracy there is a seemingly in- surmountable rift around the question of political versus economic democracy. Liberals emphasize the former, Marxists the latter. Liberals say that economic democracy is too abstract and fuzzy a concept, therefore one should concentrate on the workings of an objective political democracy. Marxists insist that political democracy without economic democracy is insufficient. The article argues that both propositions are valid and not mutually exclu- sive. It proposes the creation of an operational, quantifiable index of economic democracy that can be used alongside the already existing indexes of political democracy. By using these two indexes jointly, political and economic democracy can be objectively evaluated. Thus, the requirements of both camps are met and maybe a more dialogical approach to democracy can be reached in the debate between liberals and Marxists. The joint index is used to evaluate the levels of economic and political democracy in the transition countries of Eastern Europe. Keywords: democratic theory; transition countries; economic democracy Introduction iberalism and Marxism are two schools of thought which have left deep imprints Lin political, sociological and economic theory. Both have been very fruitful in il- luminating a wide range of common issues across these fields and yet are usually perceived 8 bpsr Liberalism, Marxism and Democratic Theory Revisited: Proposal of a Joint Index of Political and Economic Democracy as opposite, rival approaches contradicting each other in general.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Direct Democracy and Federalism in Local Power
    Institute for Empirical Research in Economics University of Zurich Working Paper Series ISSN 1424-0459 Working Paper No. 209 The Role of Direct Democracy and Federalism in Local Power Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer October 2004 THE ROLE OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY AND FEDERALISM IN LOCAL POWER Bruno S. Frey* and Alois Stutzer** (University of Zurich) October, 2004 Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Bruno S. Frey Dr. Alois Stutzer Institute for Empirical Research in Economics University of Zurich Bluemlisalpstrasse 10 CH-8006 Zurich Switzerland and CREMA - Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts * Phone: +41-44-634 3731, Fax: +41-44-634 4907, E-mail: [email protected] ** Phone: +41-44-634 3729, Fax: +41-44-634 4907, E-mail: [email protected] i The Role of Direct Democracy and Federalism in Local Power Abstract: Alienation to politics weakens political competition and can undermine the acceptance and legitimacy of democracy as a political system. Governance and representation problems at the local level cause part of citizens’ lack of power and political alienation. Citizens have local power if they can influence the political process so that its outcomes are closer to their preferences and if they feel to be effective in the political sphere. In order to increase citizens’ local power, we emphasize the role of institutions of local governance. Local democratic governance is concerned about the relationship between citizens and local government institutions, political representatives and officials. This relationship is fundamentally shaped by the federal structure of a nation’s government and by the scope and depth of citizens’ participation possibilities in the political process.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Rules? Lesson Activities GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
    Who Rules? Lesson Activities GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS Who Rules? Think About It! What kinds of governments exist? What kinds of leaders can be in charge of a country? Think about everything you’ve ever heard of or learned and add it to this mind map. Types of Governments & Leaders Theocracy can apply to any of these! Where would you put theocracy on this chart? MINI-QUIZ Do You Know Your Forms of Government? A or B? 1. One person is in charge. A B Autocracy Democracy A or B? 2. Citizens often have no rights. A B Democracy Dictatorship A or B? 3. Can exist with other forms of government. A B Dictatorship Theocracy A or B? 4. Led by a king or queen. A B Monarchy Oligarchy A or B? 5. Nobody is in charge. A B Monarchy Anarchy A or B? 6. Those in charge are military members who took over by force. A B Junta Democracy A or B? 7. Leader often shares power with other parts of government. A B Monarchy Dictatorship A or B? 8. Democracy where citizens elect others to serve in government. A B Direct Representative A or B? 9. Citizens vote to elect their leaders. A B Democracy Autocracy A or B? 10. A small group rules the country. A B Oligarchy Democracy A or B? 11. People do not answer to any leader or government. A B Oligarchy Anarchy A or B? 12. God and religious law are the government authority. A B Oligarchy Theocracy A or B? 13. The group with power can be based on race or social class.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparing Forms of Government Table Of
    COMPARING FORMS OF GOVERNMENT SS.7.C.3.1 Compare different forms of government (direct democracy, representative democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy, oligarchy, autocracy). TABLE OF CONTENTS Lesson Summary ...................................................................................................................... 2 Suggested Student Activity Sequence .................................................................................... 3 Student Activity Sheets & Reading Materials ....................................................................... 4 Sources .................................................................................................................................... 14 Answer Keys ........................................................................................................................... 15 Civics Content Vocabulary ................................................................................................... 20 Essential Teacher Content Background Information ........................................................ 21 SS.7.C.3.1 – Updated 3/19 | 1 Lesson Summary Essential Questions What are forms of government? How do they compare to each other? NGSSS Benchmark SS.7.C.3.1 Compare different forms of government (direct democracy, representative democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy, oligarchy, autocracy) Florida Standards LAFS.68.RH.2.4 LAFS.68.WHST.3.8 LAFS.68.WHST.3.9 MAFS.K12.MP.6.1 LAFS.68.WHST.4.10 LAFS.7.SL.1.1 LAFS.7.SL.1.2 LAFS.7.SL.2.4 Overview In this lesson, students
    [Show full text]
  • Civics and General Studies Journal
    Appointment of Good Governance Minister who is responsible DEMOCRATIC PRACTICES IN for among other things for monitoring overall strategy and CHAPTER TANZANIA implementation of ant-corruption measures. The National Anti- 2 corruption Strategy focuses on the need for transparency and accountability in the government. A direct The concept of democracy democracy gives the voting Democracy is a form of government in which population all citizens have an equal say in the decisions the power that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes Conclusions to; change constitutional equal (and more or less direct) participation Problems in governance occur when a government is not only laws, put forth in proposals, development and passage of corrupt, but when it is also inefficient, unresponsive or secretive. initiatives, legislation into law. Essentially, when a government is ineffectual, it is considered to referendums be corrupt. Corruption is fundamentally caused by low wages, and suggestions It comes from the Greek word demokratía poor incentives structure and inefficient system. It is also caused for laws, give binding orders which is a union of two words demos meaning by the desire for unfair advantage and the knowledge that one to elective common people and kratos which means will not be caught or punished for corrupt behavior. officials, such power. Therefore democracy can simply be as revoking defined as the power of the common people. Corruption is not just about ethics, it is also about how them before the government is set up and managed. Parliament and the end of their elected term. There is no specific, universally accepted parliamentarians must oversee the way government works so that definition of ‘democracy’, but equality corrupt behavior is punishable, and opportunities for corruption and freedom both have been identified as are limited through laws.
    [Show full text]
  • 11. Types of Government
    Where would you want to live? Look at the types of governments below. Next to each type is a brief description of what it is. Types of government Monarchy: A country ruled by a King or Queen Anarchy/Mob Rule: No government, no laws, state of nature. Direct Democracy: Everyone has a say in the Representative Democracy: Choose people to government speak in your behalf Read the statements below. From the statements determine which type of government it is referring to and then circle whether the statement is a pro (positive) or a con (negative) example government pro or con A. One person makes all the decisions, so decisions can be made quickly and easily; you always know who is making the rules so you know who to go to for help; the King isn’t elected, so there are no bitter political battles B. This is a big country with lots of issues, and people would spend all their time voting. If the majority didn’t like an unpopular group, that group could be treated unfairly. C. People get to do whatever they want. There is maximum freedom D. One person makes all the decisions. A bad ruler could hurt a lot of people. E. Unpopular groups could still be treated unfairly. Might give the representatives too much power. The representatives might not do what the people want them to do. F. Everyone gets a say on everything; people are more in control; if people disagree, they will talk to each other and try to work things out or convince each other to vote their way.
    [Show full text]
  • Brief Amici Curiae of Initiative and Referendum
    No. 19-974 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States WILLIAM T. SCHMITT, CHAD THOMPSON, AND DEBBIE BLEWITT, Petitioners, v. FRANK LAROSE, OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE, Respondent. On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit BRIEF FOR AMICI CURIAE INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM INSTITUTE AND CENTER FOR COMPETITIVE DEMOCRACY IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS Anne Marie Lofaso Lawrence D. Rosenberg WEST VIRGINIA UNIV. Counsel of Record COLLEGE OF LAW JONES DAY U.S. SUPREME COURT 51 Louisiana Ave., N.W. LITIGATION CLINIC Washington, DC 20001 101 Law Center Dr. (202) 879-7622 Morgantown, WV 26056 [email protected] Counsel for Amici Curiae Initiative and Referendum Institute and Center for Competitive Democracy i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ....................................... ii INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE ............................... 1 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT .................................... 3 ARGUMENT ............................................................... 4 I. Ballot Initiatives Have Deep Roots In, And Are Critical To, American Democracy, And They Are Used Prevalently Today To Fur- ther Important Political And Social Ends. ........... 4 II. Many States Impose Subject-Matter Re- strictions On Ballot Initiatives, And This Court’s First Amendment Guidance Is Greatly Needed On This Important And Recurring Issue. .................................................. 13 CONCLUSION ......................................................... 16 ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) CASES Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Indep. Redistricting Comm’n, 135 S. Ct. 2652 (2015) ............................................ 4 Citizens in Charge, Inc. v. Husted, 810 F.3d 437 (6th Cir. 2016) .................................. 2 City of Eastlake v. Forest City Enters., Inc., 426 U.S. 668 (1976) ................................................ 4 Constitution Party of Pa. v. Aichele, 757 F.3d 347 (3d Cir.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy and Capitalism: the Issue Joined from Within
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-1991 Democracy and Capitalism: The Issue Joined from Within Christopher E. Bischoff Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Economics Commons, and the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Bischoff, Christopher E., "Democracy and Capitalism: The Issue Joined from Within" (1991). Master's Theses. 942. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/942 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEMOCRACY AND CAPITALISM: THE ISSUE JOINED FROM WITHIN by Christopher E. Bischoff A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Political Science Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEMOCRACY AND CAPITALISM: THE ISSUE JOINED FROM WITHIN Christopher E. Bischoff, M.A. Western Michigan University, 1991 This study utilizes contemporary and classical literature to illuminate the complexities of Western democracy. Of specific focus is American democracy and the effects that capitalism has had upon demo­ cracy in America. The achievement of democracy on the scale of the modern nation-state appears problematic even without the adversarial burdens posed by a capitalist economic consort. It emerges that Ameri­ can democracy is particularly compromised by its roots in liberal tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • S. Galletta Direct Democracy, Partial Decentralization and Voter Information
    IdEP Economic Papers 2015 / 01 S. Galletta Direct democracy, partial decentralization and voter information : evidence from Swiss municipalities Direct Democracy, Partial Decentralization and Voter Information: Evidence from Swiss Municipalities∗ Sergio Gallettay January 22, 2015 Abstract In this paper I investigate whether changes in the availability of direct democratic institutions in local Swiss jurisdictions aect expenditure decentralization. By using a panel-based dierence in dierences estimation I nd a statistically signicant reduc- tion in decentralization when the mandatory scal referendum is introduced at the local level. This result is consistent with the proposed theoretical framework. Direct democ- racy increases citizens' awareness of governments' behaviour which eventually aects politicians' electoral incentives. When ocials from two dierent levels of government share the responsibility for the provision of public goods, they nd it convenient for electoral purposes to favor expenditures where citizens have the lowest control over government actions. < Tables and gures at the end > JEL Classication H76, H77, D72, D78 Keywords Direct Democracy, Fiscal Referendum, Partial Decentralization, Vertical Interaction 1 Introduction Recently there has been a growing interest in direct democratic institutions as an instru- ment for sub-federal jurisdictions to remodel their relationships with central authorities. ∗I wish to thank David Agrawal, Katherine Cu, Patricia Funk, Vincenzo Galasso, Mario Jametti, Marcelin Joanis, Michael Devereux, Raphaël Parchet and Francesco Trebbi for their insightful comments and Marco Tarchini for his excellent assistantship. I have also beneted from comments by participants at the Sinergia Workshop (Lausanne), the IIPF (Lugano) and the CPEG (Ottawa). Financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (grants ProDoc - 130443 and Sinergia - 130648 / 147668 ) is gratefully acknowledged.
    [Show full text]
  • Direct Democracy – Institutional Origins, Initiative Usage, and Policy Consequences
    Direct Democracy { Institutional Origins, Initiative Usage, and Policy Consequences Lucas Leemann Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 c 2014 Lucas Leemann All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Direct Democracy { Institutional Origins, Initiative Usage, and Policy Consequences Lucas Leemann This dissertation consist of three research papers on direct democracy. Each paper addresses a fundamental question about direct democracy. All three questions have a specific role in a larger research agenda on direct democratic institutions. To out rule any confusion up front I need to define direct democratic institutions. I refer to direct democratic institutions if they can be launched or triggered by citizens and political parties against the will of the executive and the legislature or if they are constitutionally required. The second qualification is that the outcome of the process or mechanism has to be binding. Direct democracy, according to this definition, exists on a national level in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Egypt, Ireland, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, USA (to change the constitution). In Italy, Liberia, Liechtenstein, the Philippines, and Switzerland the people can challenge government policies. Fi- nally, in the US states, Switzerland, Swiss cantons, and also most German L¨anderthere is a right to propose new laws (Hug, 2004). The purpose of limiting direct democracy to the most powerful subset of such institutions { the ones which can originate from the people and are binding for the government { provides us with specific enough set of institutions such that one can make meaningful statements about them.
    [Show full text]