ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how different theoretical conceptions of democratic legitimacy dictate the value placed on the referendum process. Referendums, like other democratic procedures, have their share of advantages and disadvantages. The democratic quality of referendums relies in many respects on the quality of the debate at hand and, more generally, on the way the referendum vote is designed and organized. A referendum also has its limits as a democratic instrument. Accordingly, it is important to reflect on the referendum procedure to assess the quality of democratic deliberation. Beyond theoretical conceptions of legitimacy, debates on the democratic quality of referendums can base themselves on empirical analysis of the inherent, intrinsic limits of referendum procedures. While intrinsic limitations follow the very nature of the referendum process, extrinsic limitations depend more on the circumstances, particularly the political climate and situation. Nonetheless, such extrinsic limitations can have considerable effects on the outcome of a referendum.
