Bulletin n. 2-3/2012 | ||
October 2012-February 2013 | ||
Matis Laisney |
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The Initiation of Local Authority Referendums: Participatory Momentum or Political Tactics? The UK Case | ||
in Local Government Studies , Volume 38, Issue 5 , 2012 , 639-659 | ||
Local authority-initiated referendums have been a cornerstone of the UK Government's drive to improve citizen participation at the local level. Authorities have increasingly made use of local referendums since the 1990s, but little research has been carried out to explain and qualify this surge. Focusing on a case study of a recent referendum in Greater Manchester, and comparing it to other significant local referendums, this article analyses their initiation according to Morel's (2007) functional model. Findings reveal that referendums were most often held to smooth over divisions within local parties or assemblies, to legitimate a controversial decision or to weaken political adversaries. Local authorities therefore never employed referendums as genuine participatory tools, but rather as a pragmatic and tactical solution to a given political problem. Consequently, the long-term impact of local referendums on citizen participation remains questionable. | ||