If I'll win it, I want it
The role of instrumental considerations in explaining public support for referendums
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6258570 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Heinz Werner (0000-0003-4248-5037, Department of Political Science University of Leuven Belgium, corresponding author), Hannah Werner (0000-0002-1725-6948) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 312-330 |
| Publication date | 2020-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Political Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0304-4130 • E-ISSN: 1475-6765 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1475-6765.12358 |
| OpenAlex | W2981113563 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 76 |
| References cited | 42 |
Across established democracies, citizens express high levels of support for decision making via referendums. What drives these preferences remains yet unclear. In this article it is argued that, first, process preferences are less stable than previously assumed but vary substantially across policy proposals. Second, it is suggested that instrumental considerations play an important role in shaping citizens’ preferences for referendums. Specifically, citizens who favour the policy proposal or believe that they hold a majority opinion are expected to express more support for the use of referendums. An original survey was designed and conducted in the Netherlands (N = 1,289) that contains both between and within respondent variation across a range of policy proposals. The findings support these arguments: Both the desire for a specific policy change and the perception of being in the majority with one's policy preference relate to support for the use of referendums across policy proposals, levels of governance, and between and within respondents. This study contributes to a better understanding of process preferences by showing that these preferences have a non‐stable component and that instrumental considerations play an important role in citizens’ support for referendums
Corporate governance · Economics · Perception · Political science · Politics · Preference · Process (computing · Public economics · Public opinion · Public policy · Public relations · Public support · Respondent · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Psychology · Social Media and Politics
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| Unique citing works | 76 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 12,67 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2026 (7) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 76 |