Direct Democracy and Citizens: Unpacking Conditional Effects

Abstract

Research on the relationship between direct democracy and political participation commonly scrutinizes either what citizen direct democracy requires or how direct democracy affects citizens. The first question addresses the input side, that is which capabilities and resources allow citizens to effectively participate in different direct democratic procedures. The second question refers to the output side, that is which institutional and contextual characteristics of direct democratic procedures affect citizens’ political attitudes and behavior. What we are lacking is research that connects both the input and output questions. In this panel, we contribute to unpacking the conditional relationship between characteristics of citizens and the effects of direct democracy. We invite scholars to consider how citizens’ characteristics shape direct democracy’s effects on citizens and encourage a more precise and rigorous assessment of what input leads to what output. To this end, both qualitative and quantitative approaches are welcome. In providing insights into the conditional relationship between direct democracy and citizens, this panel seeks to link current debates on citizens’ democratic capacities and the role of direct democratic procedures in democratic systems.

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