The Strategic Use of Self-Rule Referendums

• In Event: Separatist Referenda Politics

Abstract

From Catalonia to Kurdistan, Scotland to Quebec, self-rule referendums have become popular tools used by separatists to advance their cause. Although self-rule referendums appear similar in kind – i.e. individual-level voting to signal a popular will for greater autonomy – these referendums vary considerably. Some referendums are called by separatists who engage solely in non-violent politics, while others are employed by rebel groups. Some referendums bind themselves to a final declaration of independence, others have more incremental goals that increase the bargaining leverage of separatist. In this paper, we argue that separatists employ referendums in different ways to achieve a diverse set of political goals. Specifically, we argue that internal competition in the separatist movements can lead to referenda being used to dominate other actors locally or to maintain status within the movement. We build a novel cross-national dataset on self-rule referenda (building on Mendez and Germann (2018)) and we analyze the conditions under which these referenda are more likely. We find internal competition is associated with a higher chance of a referenda being used.

Authors

• Laia Balcells, Georgetown University

• Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham, University of Maryland, College Park

• Harriet Goers, University of Maryland, College Park