ABSTRACT

For centuries, the phenomenon of direct democracy has exerted a peculiar attraction to theorists and practitioners of politics alike. Unsurprisingly so, because it lies at the heart of the democratic principle: the participation of the people in the decision-making process. Thus, it has played a pivotal role in political thought, from Aristotle to Schumpeter, from Rousseau to Barber. But while theoretical assumptions about the virtues and pitfalls of direct democracy abound, empirical evidence remains scattered. According to Grotz, the amount of general findings about the functioning of direct democracy in Europe is still ‘rather modest’ (2009: 387).