The Coming Age of Direct Democracy: California's Recall and Beyond

The Coming Age of Direct Democracy: California's Recall and Beyond
ISBN-10
0742538729
ISBN-13
9780742538726
Category
Biography & Autobiography
Pages
247
Language
English
Published
2008
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield
Authors
Mark Baldassare, Cheryl Katz

Description

This book examines the unique form of democracy that has been taking shape in California since the historic recall of Gray Davis and the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003. The authors examine how Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership has encouraged the growth of direct democracy, in which public policy decisions are made by voters at the ballot box rather than by elected representatives in the legislature. Using the Public Policy Institute of California Statewide Surveys, which include interviews with more than 150,000 Californians, Baldassare and Katz detail the transformation in the state's political climate and the public attitudes behind this change. The authors conclude that this transformation will likely take place in other states, perhaps even nationwide, and offer recommendations for ways to improve policymaking in a hybrid democracy. Book jacket.

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