Constitutional Referendums: The Theory and Practice of Republican Deliberation

The use of referendums around the world has grown remarkably in the past thirty years and, in particular, referendums are today deployed more than ever in the settlement of constitutional questions, even in countries with little or no tradition of direct democracy. This is the first book by a constitutional theorist to address the implications of this development for constitutional democracy in a globalizing age, when many of the older certainties surrounding sovereignty and constitutional authority are coming under scrutiny.- The first full-length analysis of constitutional referendums, examining their democratic legitimacy and growing role in modern constitutional politics.- Provides a full analysis of the issues involved in referendum design, aiding constitutional lawyers and theorists working on the creation and operation of referendums. - Presents a diverse range of case studies to provide a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary account of the issues in political theory and legal and political practice which surround the recent proliferation of referendum use.