ABSTRACT
Direct democracy mechanisms (DDMs) have proliferated throughout Latin America, thanks to a wave of constitutional reforms that has swept the region, including in Colombia (1991), Peru (1993), Ecuador (1998 and 2008), and Venezuela (1999). In fact, some kind of mechanism for popular consultation now exists in every Latin American nation (Ruth-Lovell and Welp 2024). The triggering or attempted triggering of such mechanisms has also become more common. While these mechanisms have been analyzed in terms of their relationship with the quality of democracy and with populist leaderships (Altman 2010, Lissidini 2015, Tuesta and Welp 2020), this chapter shines a light on their effectiveness in resolving conflicts pertaining to an especially hot topic in contemporary debates on development: natural resources.
