Das Referendum in den USA

The referendum is of great importance not only in Swiss but also in US political practice. Nevertheless, it plays only a minor role in the academic discussion. This post-doctoral thesis analyses the referendum in the USA in all its forms, reconstructs the conditions of its creation and addresses the problems of its implementation. It understands the referendum as an institution of power control that arose from a deep mistrust of the legislative bodies and stands in a structural relationship of tension with parliamentary lawmaking and judicial control of norms. The referendum appears as part of a specific constitutional tradition of the member states, which around 1900 was fertile ground for institutional inspiration by Swiss-style popular rights. The book is aimed at all those interested in the foundations of referendum democracy.