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.

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.

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