Referendums Around the World

"For better or for worse, referendums are increasingly challenging representative democracy as a driving force in political life. We need to understand them better - and in this essential volume, Matt Qvortrup and his distinguished colleagues present a gripping historical overview of this form of populism from the French revolution to Brexit." (Lord Lipsey, Labour Peer and Former Adviser to Anthony Crosland and James Callaghan, UK)

In 2016, for example, the voters in the United Kingdom caused a major upheaval when they voted for leaving the European Union. Later in the same year, a majority of the voters in Colombia rejected a peace plan carefully negotiated by the political elites to end decades of civil war.

This book provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of all the nationwide referendums since 1793. Referendums are ubiquitous and they are increasingly becoming vehicles for political change – or sometimes vehicles of conservatism. In 2016, for example, the voters in the United Kingdom caused a major upheaval when they voted for leaving the European Union. Later in the same year, a majority of the voters in Colombia rejected a peace plan carefully negotiated by the political elites to end decades of civil war. Were these decisions prudent?  Why were these issues submitted to referendums? Why did the majority of voters vote against the governments’ recommendations? Have ‘the people’ had grown tired of the old political class? Was this a new tendency? These are some of the questions addressed in this new edition, which will be compulsory reading for anyone interested in or concerned about populism and democracy.