Autonomy arrangements have gradually become more numerous, and different developments in respect of autonomy can be discerned in the fields of international and domestic law. The patterns of autonomy are quite disparate, but because various fields of law treat autonomy in different ways, it is fruitful to inquire into the applications of autonomy and to ask what autonomy as such implies. Autonomy is a multi-faceted phenomenon which on the one hand contains the issue of devolution or decentralization of law-making or other normative powers in the institutional fabric of the country without any...

The referendum is not a monolithic method of national decision making. There are a multitude of referendum forms which exist under varying constitutional conditions and operate in different ways. A global comparison shows that more than half the constitutions of the world provide for the referendum at a national level, but referendums are also carried out without explicit constitutional support. Two main forms of referendum can be observed, the mandatory constitutional referendum and the policy vote. This book argues that the referendum does not undermine representative decision making, but...