In the wake of massive protests in 2019, Chile embarked upon a massive project to rewrite the constitution. This process was started by a plebiscite in which the citizens voted on whether or not...Show moreIn the wake of massive protests in 2019, Chile embarked upon a massive project to rewrite the constitution. This process was started by a plebiscite in which the citizens voted on whether or not they wanted a new constitution, and who would be writing it. In 2022 another plebiscite sealed the fate of the resulting proposal. Direct democracy also ushered in the return of democracy and the end of 18 years of dictatorship. It is also often presented as a solution to declining rates of participation in elections. This thesis will make a start into exploring the relationship between participation and direct democracy. By contrasting interviews with several experts to the existing literature it provides a tentative overview. The findings point towards direct democracy not having a strong influence by itself on political participation. There are however several positive signs with regards to participation.Show less
This thesis assesses how Direct Democracy influences Political Tolerance. It focuses on five Western democracies, i.e. Australia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand. While the original...Show moreThis thesis assesses how Direct Democracy influences Political Tolerance. It focuses on five Western democracies, i.e. Australia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand. While the original hypothesis that Political Tolerance is more likely in more direct democracies due to a learning effect could not be confirmed, it reveals that the issues at hand appear to be much more complex. The findings indicate that, given the issues voted on are not too diverse, respondents living in more direct democracies are more likely to allow their least-liked group to hold public office. This might indeed be due to a greater likelihood of being exposed to democratic norms, by having alternative channels to resolve conflict and by having the option to exercise a certain control over what is decided at system-level.Show less
