The Use of Referenda

A referendum using multiple referendums (national referendum or referendum) or referendums is a direct vote that requires all voters to approve or refuse specific proposals. This may be due to new Constitution, constitutional amendment, law, collection of elected officials, or government specific policy. There is much debate in supporting and opposing the referendum. Starting from the good side of the referendum, first of all, the referendum is the most rational form of political decision-making. Because this is a citizen's vote, which determines the government's policy on related issues.

Of course there are many reasons for opposing frequent use of referendums. The influence on the majority is too big, the ethnic minorities are ignored, there is a possibility that it may lead to minority depression and extreme rightward strong movements. Increasing the use of referendums may lead to irresponsible voting such as a reduction in tax rates, but still expects high-quality education, medical treatment, etc. rather than doing a normal referendum. The cost of each exceeds 10 million pounds (1984). This means either raising taxes or reducing government spending in other areas. Discussion on referendum shows that voters are more involved in politics, but this discussion may be in a different direction.

How will these events affect the expectations of the referendum? Fundamentally, referendum reflects the existence of entity-agent problem between citizens and their agents, ie politicians and bureaucrats. Because the interests of politicians and bureaucrats may be very different from the interests of citizens, citizens need tools to stop politics. One such tool is the general election, but these do not occur frequently. Therefore it is quite reasonable to consider a referendum as a way to make democratic decisions under certain circumstances. There are many countries where referendum is the central element of democratic political culture. The most famous example is Switzerland, but there are many others.