Referendums as extended arms of the government: evidence from an illiberal regime
Journal: East European Politics
Year: 2024

Public support for referendums has been analysed extensively in established democracies, but the topic is investigated less in illiberal settings.This article aims to explain why citizens in an illiberal country (Hungary) support referendums.We argue that in such political regimes, referendums may serve as extended arms of the illiberal government rather than as providing people with direct access to decision-making.Our study uses individual-level data from a survey conducted in May 2022 on a na