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Direct Democracy: The Politics of Initiative, Referendum, and Recall
Book by Cronin, Thomas
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 20, 2025
A thorough, if slightly outdated, survey of the history and effectiveness of direct democracy at the local, state, and federal levels.
August 1, 2009
There are a number of tools for what is called direct democracy (Page vii), ". . .devices created to give voters a greater direct voice in our democracy--referendum, initiative, recall. . . ." Thomas Cronin has authored a clear headed analysis of these tools of democracy. First, some definitions are needed.
Referendum is when voters vote on some proposed principle and, in essence, pass something into law. California voters have "passed" laws over the years that restrict property tax increases and so on. Initiative is the mechanism by which voters can propose and get items up for a referendum. In that sense, they can propose legislation upon which they will then vote (all of this is way oversimplified). Recall? Voters can kick elected officials out of office. As of the time this book was published. some states allowed all three (e.g., California, Alaska, Colorado); others were much less generous in their accepting these tools of direct democracy (among states that allow for none of the three tools of direct democracy--Texas, Pennsylvania, Minnesota).
The book begins with good discussions of the pluses and minuses of representative democracy versus direct democracy, setting the stage for what follows. Subsequent chapters address the capability of citizens to make direct democracy work, the effect of direct democracy on various minority groupings, the role of money, and so on. The final part of the book provides a sensible analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of direct democracy.
All in all, a solid analysis of the role of the people in the governing process. If you are interested in direct democracy, this is one good starting point.
Referendum is when voters vote on some proposed principle and, in essence, pass something into law. California voters have "passed" laws over the years that restrict property tax increases and so on. Initiative is the mechanism by which voters can propose and get items up for a referendum. In that sense, they can propose legislation upon which they will then vote (all of this is way oversimplified). Recall? Voters can kick elected officials out of office. As of the time this book was published. some states allowed all three (e.g., California, Alaska, Colorado); others were much less generous in their accepting these tools of direct democracy (among states that allow for none of the three tools of direct democracy--Texas, Pennsylvania, Minnesota).
The book begins with good discussions of the pluses and minuses of representative democracy versus direct democracy, setting the stage for what follows. Subsequent chapters address the capability of citizens to make direct democracy work, the effect of direct democracy on various minority groupings, the role of money, and so on. The final part of the book provides a sensible analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of direct democracy.
All in all, a solid analysis of the role of the people in the governing process. If you are interested in direct democracy, this is one good starting point.
January 9, 2015
Cronin offers a nice summary of the tools of direct democracy. I wonder whether he would still say that minority rights are not in danger, after the spate of anti-gay marriage initiatives in 2004?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews