Direct Democracy

As we hurtle forward into the twenty-first century with its unparalleled availability of information and communication technology, the world's great democracies continue to be organized around eighteenth-century principles of representative governance. Professor Qvortrup's new book illustrates the powerful new modes of direct political participation that are emerging around the globe – most important, the initiative and referendum – and shows how democratic government can be updated and augmented to better meet the challenges of our modern world.
Professor John Matsusaka, Charles F. Sexton Chair in American Enterprise at the University of Southern California

The originality and great value of the book lies in the ability of the author to step back from traditional constitutional or political scientist approaches of the subject, and to view the referendum in its present, contemporary, context... [and] the insightful analysis of the conception of direct democracy among political thinkers...like Machiavelli or Marsilius of Padua, Condorcet and Carl Schmitt.
Professor Laurence Morel, University of Lille, France