This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Bowler, S. Articles by Karp, J. A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

When Might Institutions Change? Elite Support for Direct Democracy in Three Nations

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE; UNIVERSITY TWENTE, NETHERLANDS

Todd Donovan

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Jeffrey A. Karp

UNIVERSITY TWENTE, NETHERLANDS

Legislators typically control the design of political institutions, and can be expected to craft rules that work to their advantage. In some nations, however, legislators adopt provisions for direct democracy-an institu- tion that might weaken the control that established parties and incum- bents have over political agendas. We examine the nature of legislative support for direct democracy by surveying legislators and legislative can- didates in Canada, New Zealand and the United States. We find that sup- port is conditioned by factors internal to the legislative setting (affiliation with a governing party, incumbency, and tenure) and by ideology and subjective attitudes about democracy We discuss how our findings relate to broader questions about when elites might change democratic institu- tions they control.

Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 55, No. 4, 731-754 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/106591290205500401


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. J. Tolbert, D. A. Smith, and J. C. Green Strategic Voting and Legislative Redistricting Reform: District and Statewide Representational Winners and Losers Political Research Quarterly, March 1, 2009; 62(1): 92 - 109. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Bowler, T. Donovan, and J. A. Karp Enraged or Engaged? Preferences for Direct Citizen Participation in Affluent Democracies Political Research Quarterly, September 1, 2007; 60(3): 351 - 362. [Abstract] [PDF]