For the many or the few?

When the People Decide

Throughout the series, we’ve seen what can happen when major decisions are put to the will of the people. Initiatives are far from perfect, but will we miss them if they go away? This episode will explore whether ballot initiatives can withstand the challenges they’re up against, and some groups are looking to initiatives as a way to strengthen American democracy.

Our guests this week are two bold thinkers about the future of direct democracy. John Matsusaka is the director of USC’s Initiative and Referendum Institute; Chris Melody Fields Figureredo is the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. They've studied initiative outcomes and seen how they can work on the ground, and offer their thoughts on where we go from here.

This episode also covers comes of the common criticisms of ballot initiatives, which are important to consider in designing measures and campaigns that are truly democratic and serve the many, not the few. Or, as Figueredo put it, "love letters to our people."

Resources

For the Many or the Few? The Initiative, Public Policy, and American Democracy by John Matsusaka

Let the People Rule: How Direct Democracy Can Meet the Populist Challenge by John Matsusaka

Initiatives Without Engagement: A Realistic Appraisal of Direct Democracy's Secondary Effects by Joshua Dyck and Ted Lascher.