Party Politics

http://ppq.sagepub.com Parties, Media and Voters: Challenges of Direct Democracy: An Introduction

Claes H. de Vreese Party Politics 2006; 12; 579 DOI: 10.1177/1354068806066784 The online version of this article can be found at: http://ppq.sagepub.com

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PA RT Y P O L I T I C S Copyright 2006 SAGE Publications www.sagepublications.com

V O L 1 2 . N o . 5 pp. 579580 London Thousand Oaks New Delhi

PARTIES, MEDIA AND VOTERS: CHALLENGES OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY

An Introduction Claes H. de Vreese
Political parties are key actors in representative democracies. However, direct-democratic processes pose challenges for political parties, and referendums and citizen initiatives are increasingly being used to legitimize and pass new legislation or prevent proposed legislation from being implemented. This special issue of Party Politics is about parties and direct democracy in an international and comparative perspective. The articles focus on key actors in a referendum (the political elites/parties, the media and citizens) and in particular the challenges facing political parties in direct-democracy processes. The opening article (De Vreese) investigates the potential challenges that political parties face in referendums. Ambiguous cueing, internal dissidence, electoral volatility and a limited impact on citizens prime information sources reduce the inuence of political parties. Large, centrist political parties have the worst performance record in terms of getting their voters to follow the recommendation of the party, while smaller, ideologically strongly proled parties are more successful in aligning their voters with party policy. The article highlights the conditions in which political parties are more (or less) likely to control a referendum. The second article (Kriesi), too, species the conditions under which political parties are successful in direct-democratic votes. The article contends that the political elites play a crucial role not just in representative systems, but also in the direct-democratic process. On the basis of the Swiss experience, the article demonstrates that the outcome of the directdemocratic vote heavily depends on the issue-specic conguration of power in the political elite. The results support the notion that consensual elites readily get their way, but that the situation is more complex, when elites are divided. The third article (Hobolt) demonstrates that although direct democracy allows citizens to undercut the will of their elected representatives, political parties are in fact in a privileged position to inuence voters perceptions of the issue on the ballot. The article examines how and to what extent parties
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can inuence referendum outcomes. It argues that as pivotal information providers in referendum campaigns, political parties can inuence the framing of and uncertainty associated with the ballot proposal, and thus, in turn, affect the voting behaviour. The fourth article (Bowler and Donovan) takes the perspective of direct democracy in the United States, where political parties have traditionally been weakened in direct-democracy votes. By examining the origins of direct democracy in the American states, the article assesses how direct democracy has affected American political parties. The article shows that the direct-democracy push was largest in states where Populist forces were strongest. Throughout the twentieth century, a more restrictive state legal environment for parties emerged and was associated with weaker traditional party organizations. American parties have subsequently challenged restrictions placed on their organizations and on their ability to engage in campaigns. The article concludes that American party organizations have become visible actors in direct-democracy campaigns, though their role is different from that of parties in Europe. In the nal article (Donovan and Karp), the perspective is broadened by an examination of the antecedents of citizen support for direct democracy. The article contends that the expanding use of direct democracy in many established democracies reects a desire to provide citizens with more opportunities to be involved in political processes outside party organizations. These changes are assumed to be embraced by those who demand greater citizen involvement, though the underlining motivation remains unclear. In the article, scholarship assuming that support is likely to come from citizens who have a deep interest in politics and are politically active is contrasted with work claiming that those who nd themselves on the periphery of politics, and are largely disenchanted, nd such proposals attractive. Based on a six-country comparison, the article nds that, in particular, younger citizens and those who are more interested in the political process are more supportive of direct democracy. Most of the individual articles included in this special issue were presented and discussed at a conference in Copenhagen in June 2005. The seminar was generously sponsored by the Holberg Foundation. I take this opportunity to thank not only the sponsors, but also the participants at the conference, the contributors to this special issue, the reviewers and the Editors of Party Politics.

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