All Good Things go Together? The Policy Effect of Initiatives

Does direct democracy make a difference? Political philosophers and deliberative theorists have suggested that provisions for initiatives conform to 'Say's Law', a supply creates a demand and that provisions for initiatives lead to a demand for more participation, which, in turn, has positive policy effects in the form of more government accountability and even economic growth. The paper critically analyses the existing literature and provides the outline for a revised model based on original data.