Introduction: A Special Section on Self-Determination and the Use of Referendums: Catalonia, Quebec and Scotland

Abstract

Referendums (also known as plebiscites) are instruments to bring democracy closer to the citizens by means of a direct vote in which the entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. Referendums reveal the views of the people in a direct manner and, in this respect, they epitomise “popular sovereignty”. Legitimacy emanates from them. Referendums are known as a key example of direct democracy. Often, referendums are concerned with important constitutional changes aiming to transform the system of government. By submitting constitutional changes to a referendum, these changes become entrenched; this means that future governments and parliaments will only be able to reverse the changes if they consult the people in a new referendum. However, some key questions need to be addressed: who is entitled to hold a referendum? What are the mechanisms to grant it legitimacy? And, who decides on its conditions and binding nature? Recently, Quebec went through a referendum process twice, Scotland is about to conduct one in 2014 and Catalonia is struggling with Madrid to organise its own referendum on Catalan independence. The papers included in this special issue seek to explore whether referenda are efficient instruments in the furthering of democracy. In particular, it focuses upon the use of referendums as a tool to establish the strength of claims for self-determination within nations lacking a state of their own. Quebec went through two referendums on sovereignty, in 1980 and 1995. In both cases, the secessionist project failed to achieve its goal. In 1995, the NO side won by a very thin margin Int J Polit Cult Soc (2014) 27:1–3 DOI 10.1007/s10767-013-9166-3