Coming Age of Direct Democracy - by Mark Baldassare & Cheryl Katz (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book examines the new, hybrid democracy that has been taking shape in California since the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis and election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Using the results of surveys with more than 150,000 Californians, the book reveals the public attitudes behind ...

Book Synopsis

This book examines the new, hybrid democracy that has been taking shape in California since the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis and election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Using the results of surveys with more than 150,000 Californians, the book reveals the public attitudes behind the move to supplant governance by elected representatives with an increased role for voters at the ballot box, and presents recommendations for ways to improve policymaking in a hybrid democracy.

Review Quotes

Baldassare and Katz's sharp account of the escalating use of the initiative, referendum, and recall is an important book on an absolutely crucial subject. It could fundamentally change the way most of us think about governance in twenty-first century America.

In five action-hero years, Californians -led by their celebrity governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger-have fast-forwarded themselves into hybrid democracy. Through a reenergized use of the initiative, referendum, and recall, voters now stand as co-equals with elected officials in the creation of public policy. All Americans should be interested in this timely book. After all, it's their future as well.

Mark Baldassare and Cheryl Katz have written an interesting and successful book that captures the zeitgeist of California politics in the heat of populism....The authors pair a clear and concise writing style with fascinating survey results reported in a compelling and readable format, thus making the book an excellent pedagogical tool. Most importantly, the book illustrates a new form of governance, once that combines direct democracy and representative government to make public policy.

No state practices more direct democracy than does California, and nobody analyzes California political forces and public opinion better than Baldassare....Summing Up: Highly Recommended, All levels.

The best, most comprehensive book to date on the public opinion behind California's recent tumultuous, zigzagging politics. It is also important for its reflections on 'hybrid democracy' in the Golden State.

The book stands as a useful contribution to the history of an interesting period in California politics.

About the Author

Mark Baldassare is president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, where he holds the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Public Policy. He is the author of nine previous books, including: A California State of Mind: The Conflicted Voter in a Changing World (2002); California in the New Millennium: The Changing Social and Political Landscape (2000); and When Government Fails: The Orange Country Bankruptcy (California, 1998).

Cheryl Katz is an independent public opinion researcher and California journalist. She has directed public opinion polling for California newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Sacramento Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle. She is the author of numerous newspaper articles and scholarly publications on public opinion in California.