The birth of democracies owes much to the interventions and mobilizations of ordinary
people. Yet many feel as though they have inherited democratic institutions which do not …

Social movements formed in response to austerity measures have played an increasingly
important role in referendums. The book uses unique case studies to illustrate the ways the …

When scientific evidence is used in policy controversies, it is always embedded in narrative
stories. The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) is an empirical framework used to study the …

Have you ever seen a politician fiercely attacking his opponent? Sure you have. Election
campaigns without attacks on the rival candidate's performance, policy propositions and …

Policy actors use narratives strategically to attempt to influence the political contexts in which
they participate. This study employs the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to examine policy …

In this chapter, we shall explore the contribution of journalists. Following Strömbäck and
Nord (2006), one can distinguish between a process level and a content level of news …

This article argues that evidence, even when used politically, contributes to high‐quality
democratic discourse. Research results on the use of evidence in referendum campaigns in …

For the two decades preceding the economic crisis of 2009, the Finnish party system was
notably stable, dominated by 'The Big Three': Social Democrats, the Centre Party (formerly …

To cope with the challenges posed by growing numbers of asylum seekers, Western
European countries have relied on tightening policies over the last decades. We propose to …

Direct democracy and federalism are the two most distinctive features of the Swiss political
system. Even though the forces of modernity are pulling towards an increased integration …