The Coming Age of Direct Democracy: California's Recall and Beyond

Baldassare (president and CEO, Public Policy Institute of California) and Katz (an independent public opinion researcher and California journalist) review California's recent political experience with citizens' initiatives and the recall vote, discussing political events, public opinion trends, and election results from 2002 through 2006. They argue that the growing use of such direct democracy is explained by the enabling facts of populism, partisanship, special interests, and voter distrust. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Mark Baldassare is president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, where he holds the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Public Policy. He is the author of nine previous books, including: A California State of Mind: The Conflicted Voter in a Changing World (2002); California in the New Millennium: The Changing Social and Political Landscape (2000); and When Government Fails: The Orange Country Bankruptcy (California, 1998). Cheryl Katz is an independent public opinion researcher and California journalist. She has directed public opinion polling for California newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Sacramento Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle. She is the author of numerous newspaper articles and scholarly publications on public opinion in California.