One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Why Political Parties (Do Not) Support Referendums

In recent decades, political parties have been often the main drivers behind referendums either as initiators or involved in campaigns. Previous studies show how political parties engage in referendums externally for policy and electoral support and internally for a more inclusive decision-making process. However, we know little about whether and under what circumstances political parties would favor or oppose referendums in general. This paper addresses this gap in the literature and seeks to understand why 25 parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties in Belgium, Ireland and Romania support or avoid referendums internally and externally. The countries were selected to increase variation on their experience with referendums, age of democracy and party system format. The study relies on 80 semi-structured interviews with political elites that were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. The results show that political parties often avoid internal referendums because they prefer the hierarchical structure of decision-making and have low levels of trust in the procedure. Externally, some political parties support referendums because they see it as a feasible way to increase their visibility and implement policies that would otherwise escape political debate. Several parties oppose referendums because they are consultative and have no weight in the decision-making process, people have limited understanding about the consequences of their votes, and they can be polarizing if not handled properly.