Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change
Referendum use has been increasing around the world. In some cases, referendum devices are incorporated into the institutional architecture of the state while in many others, referendums are used in an, and often consultative manner, to determine positions on contentious and divisive political quest...
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Cogitatio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Politics and Governance |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/10321 |
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| author | Theresa Reidy |
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| author_sort | Theresa Reidy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Referendum use has been increasing around the world. In some cases, referendum devices are incorporated into the institutional architecture of the state while in many others, referendums are used in an, and often consultative manner, to determine positions on contentious and divisive political questions. Many of the divisive referendum questions are what we term “cleavage referendums” in this thematic issue. These referendums ask questions that draw from underlying cleavages or fault lines in politics. Voting in these referendums will often exhibit first‐order effects, as voters make decisions that align with their fundamental values and beliefs. The articles in this issue make three important contributions to enrich existing work on referendums: The first contribution lies in the development of new conceptual models for analysing referendums, such as new forms of classifying cleavage referendums, presenting a predictive model for the outcomes of referendum votes, and documenting and applying methodological approaches and frameworks that can provide the foundations for further future comparative work. The second contribution builds on the burgeoning literature that sits at the intersection of deliberative and direct democracy. In this sense, the articles interrogate examples of deliberative and participatory innovations in combination with referendum votes, while also examining their further potential, especially in one of the most contentious referendum contexts, secession. Finally, the role of cleavage structures in shaping voter decision‐making is explored thoroughly in comparative analyses and single case studies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b1c034fe059746c7858bfa7d2666fb79 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2183-2463 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Politics and Governance |
| spelling | doaj-art-b1c034fe059746c7858bfa7d2666fb792025-08-20T02:27:16ZengCogitatioPolitics and Governance2183-24632025-05-0113010.17645/pag.103214139Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political ChangeTheresa Reidy0Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork, IrelandReferendum use has been increasing around the world. In some cases, referendum devices are incorporated into the institutional architecture of the state while in many others, referendums are used in an, and often consultative manner, to determine positions on contentious and divisive political questions. Many of the divisive referendum questions are what we term “cleavage referendums” in this thematic issue. These referendums ask questions that draw from underlying cleavages or fault lines in politics. Voting in these referendums will often exhibit first‐order effects, as voters make decisions that align with their fundamental values and beliefs. The articles in this issue make three important contributions to enrich existing work on referendums: The first contribution lies in the development of new conceptual models for analysing referendums, such as new forms of classifying cleavage referendums, presenting a predictive model for the outcomes of referendum votes, and documenting and applying methodological approaches and frameworks that can provide the foundations for further future comparative work. The second contribution builds on the burgeoning literature that sits at the intersection of deliberative and direct democracy. In this sense, the articles interrogate examples of deliberative and participatory innovations in combination with referendum votes, while also examining their further potential, especially in one of the most contentious referendum contexts, secession. Finally, the role of cleavage structures in shaping voter decision‐making is explored thoroughly in comparative analyses and single case studies.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/10321cleavage referendumsideologypolitical cleavagesreferendum campaignsreferendum votingreferendums |
| spellingShingle | Theresa Reidy Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change Politics and Governance cleavage referendums ideology political cleavages referendum campaigns referendum voting referendums |
| title | Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change |
| title_full | Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change |
| title_fullStr | Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change |
| title_short | Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change |
| title_sort | cleavage referendums ideological decisions and transformational political change |
| topic | cleavage referendums ideology political cleavages referendum campaigns referendum voting referendums |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/10321 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT theresareidy cleavagereferendumsideologicaldecisionsandtransformationalpoliticalchange |