How Referendums Challenge European Democracy

This book explains how citizens are using referendums to challenge decisions taken by the European Union. The opening chapters compare the two chief institutions of electoral democracy: parliamentary elections to decide who governs, and referendums to decide policies. The EU relies on international treaties for its authority to make policies. Chapters analysing referendum voting on Europe in Britain, Greece and the Netherlands show that cultural values can have a stronger influence than class. The book uses Brexit the British referendum in which a majority voted for the UK leaving the European Union as the leading example of a conflict between national voters and the EU. However, taking back control of policymaking does not ensure effective policymaking when success depends not only on what the British Parliament does but also on decisions taken in Brussels, Washington and elsewhere. Boris Johnson's electoral success is insufficient to deliver all his promises in the world beyond Brexit. The EU is challenged too, as its policies increasingly depend on what happens on other continents.

Relevant to the debate about whether the EU has a democratic deficit Places Brexit in a wider comparative context Originally claims that referendums challenge the elite consensus that led to the referendums being called in the first place

Autorentext

Richard Rose has received many European awards for his pioneering books on comparative elections, public policy and British and European Union politics. He is Founder-Director of the Centre for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Strathclyde, UK.

Inhalt

1. How Democratic Elections Differ (Richard Rose).- 2. How Referendums Differ From Each Other (Richard Rose).- 3. Europe's Democratic Deficit and Democratic Surplus (Richard Rose).- 4. A Paradigm Shift in European Referendums (Fernando Mendez).- 5. When Institutions and Issues Change, Voting Changes (Ian McAllister and Richard Rose).- 6. How Politicians Ought to Talk about Europe: Five Lessons from Experiments (Konstantin Vössing).- 7. Comparing Voting in National Referendums on EU Issues (Alexia Katsanidou and Slaven ivkovi).- 8. Britain: Still Searching for a Role in the World (Tim Oliver).- 9 Forecasting the Economic Impact of Brexit (Paul Whiteley and Harold D. Clarke).- 10. Policymaking in a Bounded Democracy (Richard Rose).- 11. The Failure of Parliamentary Government (Richard Rose).- 12. A New Prime Minister Meets Old Constraints (Richard Rose).- 13. Beyond Brexit in a World of Interdependence (Richard Rose).