The politics of referendum rules: Evidence from New Zealand (1893–2016)

Related Articles Despite widespread concerns about the manipulation of government‐initiated referendums, there has been little consideration of the long‐term effects of these institutional changes. Using a historical institutionalist framework, I examine two long‐standing processes of gradual institutional change in New Zealand: the serial referendum and the two‐stage referendum. Cabinet documents, parliamentary speeches, and previous analyses reveal that governments change referendums in unique ways depending on the political circumstances, including precedents set by earlier referendums. Once set in motion, these processes of gradual institutional change can fundamentally transform the functional qualities of the referendum over time. This article suggests that avoiding conceptions of referendums as discrete events can help clarify the challenges and potentials to democratizing popular votes.Lachapelle, Erick, Thomas Bergeron, Richard Nadeau, Jean‐Francois Daoust, Ruth Dassonneville, and Eric Belanger. 2021. “Citizens' Willingness to Support New Taxes for COVID‐19 Measures and the Role of Trust.” Politics & Policy 49(3): 534–65. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12404Pierson, Chris, and Louise Humpage. 2016. “Coming Together or Drifting Apart? Income Maintenance in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.” Politics & Policy 44(2): 261–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12150Silagadze, Nanuli. 2021. “Abortion Referendums: Is There a Recipe for Success?” Politics & Policy 49(2): 352–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12398 (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] La politica de las reglas del referendum: evidencia de Nueva Zelanda (1893–2016) A pesar de las preocupaciones generalizadas sobre la manipulacion de los referendums iniciados por el gobierno, ha habido poca consideracion de los efectos a largo plazo de estos cambios institucionales. Utilizando un marco institucionalista historico, examino dos procesos de larga data de cambio institucional gradual en Nueva Zelanda: el referendum en serie y el referendum en dos etapas. Los documentos del gabinete, los discursos parlamentarios y los analisis previos revelan que los gobiernos cambian los referendums de formas unicas dependiendo de las circunstancias politicas, incluidos los precedentes establecidos por referendos anteriores. Una vez puestos en marcha, estos procesos de cambio institucional gradual pueden transformar fundamentalmente las cualidades funcionales del referendum a lo largo del tiempo. Este articulo sugiere que evitar las concepciones de los referendos como eventos discretos puede ayudar a aclarar los desafios y potenciales para democratizar el voto popular. (Spanish) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] 公投規則的政治：來自新西蘭的證據（1893–2016） 儘管人們普遍擔心政府發起的公投被操縱，但很少考慮這些制度變化的長期影響。住用歷史制度主義框架，我考察了新西蘭漸進制度變遷的兩個長期過程：連續公投和兩階段公投。內閣文件、議會演講和之前的分析表明，政府根據政治環境以獨特的方式改變公投，包括早期公投設定的先例。一旦啟動，這些漸進的製度變革過程可以隨著時間的推移從根本上改變公投的功能品質。本文建議避免將公投視為離散事件的概念可以幫助闡明大眾投票民主化的挑戰和潛力。 (Chinese) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)