The role of the political elite in Swiss direct-democratic votes

Abstract

This chapter contends that the political elite plays a crucial role in the democratic process—not only in representative systems, but also in the direct- democratic process. As Schattschneider ((1960)1988) has already pointed out, the classic definition of democracy as government by the people is not adapted to modern democratic experience. It does not take into account the role of leadership and organization in the democratic process. Democracy, as defined by Schattschneider¹, is “a competitive political system in which competing leaders and organizations define the alternatives of public policy in such a way that the public can participate in the decision-making process… Conflict, competition, organization, leadership and responsibility are the ingredients of a working definition of democracy”. This definition was intended for representative democracy, but it also applies to direct-democratic processes. Direct democracy is also likely to be mediated by political organizations and their representatives. Under conditions of contemporary “party democracies”, direct-democratic procedures are likely to be guided and controlled by political parties and related political organizations. Budge proposes a kind of intermediary form of “party-based direct democracy”, where the representative institutions do not disappear but are only modified by combining them with direct-democratic elements.²