Dangerous Democracy?

Larry J. Sabato is Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs and director of the Center for Governmental Studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is the author of numerous books including Feeding Frenzy: How Attack Journalism Has Transformed American Politics and Peepshow: Media and Politics in an Age of Scandal. Howard R. Ernst is assistant professor of political science department at the United States Naval Academy. Bruce A. Larson is assistant professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

The growth of the initiative process leapfrogs all those messy Madisonian checks and balances. Measures that wouldn't stand a chance in a state legislature can become law overnight. This excellent collection of essays and responses by both academics and practitioners will help us all better understand the dangers of direct democracy.

• Part 1 The Historical Role of Narrow-Material Interests in Initiative Politics Chapter 2 Challenging Initiatives: More than Just Special-Interest Money, an Issue of Political Civility Chapter 3 Initiative Politics: A Useful Blend of Vested Interests and Citizen Politics Part 4 The Populist Legacy: Initiatives and the Undermining of Representative Government Chapter 5 Time to Walk the Talk Chapter 6 Dumber than Chimps? An Assessment of Direct Democracy Voters Part 7 Campaign Financing of Ballot Initiatives in the American States Chapter 8 Ballot Initiative Regulation Interferes with Political Liberty Chapter 9 The Initiative Process: Where People Count Part 10 Political Consultants and the Initiative Industrial Complex Chapter 11 The Campaign Business: a Consultant's Perspective Chapter 12 Observations of Initiative Elections Part 13 The Logic of Reform: Assessing Initiative Reform Strategies Chapter 14 Prospects of Reforming the Initiative Process— Some Thoughts Chapter 15 An Alligator in the Bathtub: Assessing Initiative Reform Proposals Part 16 A Call for Change: Making the Best of Initiative Politics Chapter 17 Response to "A Call for Change" Chapter 18 Biblography Chapter 19 Index