Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2002

Abstract

Theorists such as Carole Pateman and Benjamin Barber suggest that democratic participation will engage citizens and lead them to have more positive regard for political processes and democratic practices. The American states provide a setting where provisions for direct voter participation in legislation vary substantially. If participatory institutions have an 'educative role' that shapes perceptions of government, then citizens exposed to direct democracy may be more likely to claim they understand politics and be more likely to perceive that they are capable of participation. They may also be more likely to perceive that government is responsive to them. We merge data on state-level political institutions with data from the 1992 American National Election Study to test these hypotheses with OLS models. Our primary hypotheses find support. We present evidence that the effects of exposure to direct democracy on internal and external political efficacy rival the effects of formal education.

Publication Title

British Journal of Political Science

Volume

32

Issue

2

First Page

371

Last Page

390

Required Publisher's Statement

British Journal of Political Science / Volume 32 / Issue 02 / April 2002, pp 371-390
Copyright © 2002 Cambridge University Press
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007123402000157 (About DOI), Published online: 28 March 2002

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4092223

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Direct democracy--United States; Political participation--United States; Referendum--United States

Geographic Coverage

United States

Genre/Form

articles

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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