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Direct Democracy and Subjective Well-Being: The Initiative and Life Satisfaction in the American States

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  • Benjamin Radcliff

    (University of Notre Dame)

  • Gregory Shufeldt

    (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)

Abstract

This paper considers the effect of direct democracy on quality of life in the American States. Specifically, it seeks to determine to what extent the use of the initiative affects satisfaction with life. The theoretical discussion draws upon traditional arguments over direct democracy, along with contemporary research on the quality of representation in the United States. The empirical results suggest that satisfaction varies positively with the extent to which initiatives are used. We also find that this relationship is mediated by income, such that the positive effects of direct democracy are most pronounced for those with the lowest income. The consequences for our understanding of direct democracy, public policy, and the study of life satisfaction are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin Radcliff & Gregory Shufeldt, 2016. "Direct Democracy and Subjective Well-Being: The Initiative and Life Satisfaction in the American States," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 1405-1423, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:128:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s11205-015-1085-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-015-1085-4
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    Cited by:

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    2. Angelo Panno, 2018. "Social Dominance and Attitude towards Immigrants: The Key Role of Happiness," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(8), pages 1-10, August.
    3. Joshua J. Dyck & Wesley Hussey & Edward L. Lascher, Jr., 2019. "American State Ballot Initiatives and Income Inequality," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(2), pages 380-409.
    4. Paleologou, Suzanna-Maria, 2022. "Happiness, democracy and socio-economic conditions: Evidence from a difference GMM estimator," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    5. Christopher Barrington-Leigh & Jan T. Wollenberg, 2019. "Informing Policy Priorities using Inference from Life Satisfaction Responses in a Large Community Survey," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(4), pages 911-924, September.
    6. Junpeng Li & Puneet Vatsa & Wanglin Ma, 2023. "Small Acts With Big Impacts: Does Garbage Classification Improve Subjective Well-Being in Rural China?," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(3), pages 1337-1363, June.
    7. Terri Mannarini & Angela Fedi, 2018. "Using Quali-Quantitative Indicators for Assessing the Quality of Citizen Participation: A Study on Three Citizen Juries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(2), pages 473-490, September.

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