Date of Award
2021
Embargo Period
8-1-2024
Document Type
Dissertation - MUSC Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Health Administration
College
College of Health Professions
First Advisor
Walter Jones
Second Advisor
Jillian Harvey
Third Advisor
Thomas Del Becarro
Abstract
The citizen referendum is the epitome of democracy, encouraging public participation in policymaking. The transformation of California's initiative landscape over the last century primarily reflects a system dominated by interest groups and political professionals. This qualitative exploratory multiple case study examined interest groups' strategic use of referenda after legislative failure. The analysis aims to surface potential overuse of California's initiative system and uncover a probable cause for referenda reform. The research followed Robert Yin's qualitative case study framework using pattern matching, explanation building, time-series analysis, logic models, and cross-case synthesis techniques. The study also seeks to advance our understanding of the strategic use of referenda to accomplish alternative goals. The results present two examples of an interest group, Services Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers (SEIU-UHW), introducing referenda after legislative failure, and findings suggest opportunities for potential reform.
Recommended Citation
Gershman, Jordan, "An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Examining the Strategic Use of Health Policy Referenda by Interest Groups in California Elections" (2021). MUSC Theses and Dissertations. 650.
https://medica-musc.researchcommons.org/theses/650
Rights
All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.