POL 395-02 - Advanced Special Topic: Direct Democracy and Referenda

4 credits (Spring)

Should governments ask their citizens what they want? Should the people play a direct role in the legislative process? Do referendums improve the quality of democracy? This course dives into the increasing use of referendums worldwide. It analyzes why, when and how they take place as well as their consequences, in order to inform the conditions that may bring referenda closest or farthest from the democratic ideal.

Prerequisite: POL 101 one of the following courses: POL 255, POL 257, POL 258, POL 262, POL 273, POL 295: Electoral Systems, POL 295: How United is the Kingdom, or POL 295: Democracy and Inequality; with grades S, C, or better.
Instructor: Sala