Plebiscitary Agenda-Setting and Party Strategies

Abstract

This article explores party strategies in situations where a plebiscitary instrument - the initiative - allows citizens to get a bill on the agenda of parliament. The initiative is a unique means for citizens and opposition parties to attract public attention to an issue both in its pre-parliamentary and parliamentary phases. This article identifies the requirements for an initiative to be successful in terms of building new electoral alliances. While the characteristics of the issue are crucial, the instrument of the initiative, as distinct from the issue itself, has the potential to have an impact on the processes of issue competition and opinion formation. The Austrian experiences make clear how the instrument of the initiative has an in-built advantage for the party employing it.