Direct democracy has come in for praise as being closer to the people’s will than representative democracy. A closer look at the sources of public support, however, reveals some surprises.
About the Authors
Russell J. Dalton
Russell J. Daltonis professor of political science at the University of California–Irvine and author ofThe Good Citizen: How the Young Are Reshaping American Politics(2007).
The history of twentieth-century European communist parties shows that extremists can be moderated by robust democratic institutions. Without them, however, the inclusion of extremist parties may undermine democracy.
