Introduction

  As recent elections in Southern California and across the nation have demonstrated, direct democracy is gaining in popularity. It is less clear, however, whether the processes of initiative and referendum (I&R) are serving the citizens well. Policy makers are increasingly forced to make crucial decisions as a result of, or in anticipation of, voter-approved ballot measures, which can deny them the opportunity to consider policies in the broader context of their communities' needs. While direct democracy may facilitate greater public engagement in governance, it may well limit the ability of elected officials to create and implement sound public policy.

  The USC/Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics (CSLP), the Initiative and Referendum Institute (IRI), and the Lusk Center for Real Estate are developing a database and a body of scholarly work that will help policy makers, citizens, and scholars better understand the use and consequences of initiatives and referendums in cities and counties across the nation. The use of direct democracy at the state level is widely studied, but little rigorous empirical work focuses on I&R at the local level. Initially gathering data from localities in Southern California, where direct democracy first took root at a local level, and then from locations nationwide, this project has produced and will continue producing an extensive online database on the characteristics and outcomes of local initiatives and referendums. Based on this data, CSLP is commissioning research papers to be presented at a major interdisciplinary policy conference, where the nation's leading scholars and policy makers will begin to answer vital questions surrounding the impact of initiatives and referendums.

  The purpose of this project is to assemble, analyze, and disseminate data about the history, legal requirements, and current use of direct democracy at the local level. CSLP hopes that this information will enable policy makers and scholars to better understand the increasing public use of the initiative and referendum process in local government and determine how to best respond to this trend. This project, initially focused on the cities and counties in Southern California, is a large national study of the use of local direct democracy over the past three decades. This national study, already underway, will include data from cities and counties in many states with various statewide systems of governance, allowing for comparison among regions and government structures. The project's initial data collection efforts are currently available on this website. As more data and information are gathered, it will be made publicly available at this venue.

Please direct questions and comments to Betsey Hawkins at bghawkin@usc.edu or (213) 821-5438