initiative

1. The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.
2. A beginning or introductory step; an opening move: took the initiative in trying to solve the problem.
3. 1. The power or right to introduce a new legislative measure.
   2. The right and procedure by which citizens can propose a law by petition and ensure its submission to the electorate.

1. Of or relating to initiation.
2. Used to initiate; initiatory.

on (one's) own initiative

1. Without prompting or direction from others; on one's own.

Action of creating or starting. A manager with initiative possesses the aptitude to bring forth new ideas or techniques; he will take action on his own without having to wait for instructions. People with initiative are self-starters and self-motivators. In the business world, initiative is associated with entrepreneurial activities.

noun

An aggressive readiness along with energy to undertake taxing efforts: drive, enterprise, hustle, punch. Informal get-up-and-go, gumption, push. See action/inaction, tired/fresh, try.

Definition: eagerness to do something
Antonyms: indifference, lethargy

A particular form of the referendum used especially in Switzerland and California. In the latter, to be placed on the ballot, an initiative needs signatures which equal 5 per cent of the vote for governor in the last election, or 8 per cent in the case of a proposal for a constitutional amendment. The initiative was used increasingly frequently in the 1970s and 1980s. Proposition 13 1978 severely restricted property taxes and was seen as the forerunner of taxpayers' revolts throughout the world.

— Wyn Grant

Initiative, the process by which citizens, rather than legislators, propose statutes or constitutional amendments and place them before voters for approval. The initiative is not applicable at the federal level because the U.S. Constitution vests all national legislative powers in Congress, but by 2001 twenty-four states and the District of Columbia allowed the process in some form. All jurisdictions require the proponent to gather signatures from state residents, usually 5 to 10 percent of the electorate, supporting a vote on the issue, and some regulate the nature or wording of the issue. Where the direct initiative is employed, the proposition goes directly on the ballot. In states with an indirect initiative, the proposal must be submitted first to the legislature, which may adopt it or send it to the voters, possibly with modifications.

The initiative grew out of the popular disenchantment with state legislatures that gave rise to the Populist and Progressive movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Reformers, angered by the influence of big business on government and what they saw as unresponsiveness and corruption among elected representatives, sought to restore "direct democracy" and allow the people to participate in policymaking and hold politicians accountable. From 1898 to 1918, nineteen states, beginning with South Dakota, provided for the initiative, and the process was one element of the Progressive Party platform of presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.

From its first actual use in Oregon in 1904 until 2001, approximately 2,000 initiatives have appeared on state ballots, and voters approved about 40 percent of them. Initiative use is something of a regional phenomenon, as six states alone account for nearly two-thirds of its use—Oregon, California, Colorado, North Dakota, Arizona, and Washington, in that order. New or relatively young western states facing problems of economic development and political discontent were more likely to adopt the process, while strong political parties often blocked it in the East and South. There have been three periods of greatest use of the device: the 1910s, during the Progressive era; the 1930s, during the Great Depression and New Deal; and in the last two decades of the twentieth century. In all three periods, strong social movements arose questioning the ability of government to provide for public needs and calling for more democratic or populist reforms. Among recent initiative propositions there have been questions on taxation, term limits for elected officials, and public morality issues such as gambling, abortion, and gun control.

Advocates of the initiative argue that it represents a genuine forum for democratic participation in policy-making, operates as a safety valve for political discontent, and helps shape the agenda of public officials. Skeptics charge that it circumvents the more deliberative legislative process and allows well-organized and well-funded special interests to take advantage of impassioned, even irresponsible, public opinion, possibly to the detriment of minority groups. There is no clear correlation between the influence of money or the media and the outcome of a proposition, though initiative campaigns increasingly rely on professional polling and marketing services rather than on grassroots volunteers.

Bibliography

Bowler, Shaun, Todd Donovan, and Caroline J. Tolbert, eds. Citizens as Legislators: Direct Democracy in the United States. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1998.

Cronin, Thomas E. Direct Democracy: The Politics of Initiative, Referendum, and Recall. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1989.

Ellis, Richard J. Democratic Delusions: The Initiative Process in America. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2002.

A process of a participatory democracy that empowers the people to propose legislation and to enact or reject the laws at the polls independent of the lawmaking power of the governing body.

The purpose of an initiative, which is a type of election commenced and carried out by the people, is to permit the electorate to resolve questions where their elected representatives fail to do so or refuse to proceed with a change that the public desires.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - initiativ, foretagsomhed, første skridt
adj. - første, begyndelses-, indlednings-

idioms:

• have the initiative    have initiativet
• take the initiative    tage initiativet
• use one's own initiative    på eget initiativ

Nederlands (Dutch)
initiatief, begin op eigen initiatief handelen

Français (French)
n. - initiative, (Pol, Jur) initiative
adj. - d'initiative

idioms:

• have the initiative    avoir l'initiative
• take the initiative    prendre l'initiative
• use one's own initiative    faire preuve d'initiative

Deutsch (German)
n. - Initiative
adj. - beginnend, einleitend

idioms:

• have the initiative    sich in der bestimmenden Position befinden
• take the initiative    die Initiative ergreifen
• use one's own initiative    aus eigener Initiative handeln

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πρωτοβουλία

idioms:

• have the initiative    έχω την πρωτοβουλία (κινήσεων)
• take the initiative    παίρνω την πρωτοβουλία
• use one's own initiative    ασκώ πρωτοβουλία

Italiano (Italian)
iniziativa

idioms:

• have the initiative    avere l'iniziativa
• take the initiative    prendere l'iniziativa
• use one's own initiative    servirsi della propria iniziativa

Português (Portuguese)
n. - iniciativa (f)

idioms:

• have the initiative    ter a idéia (f)
• take the initiative    tomar a iniciativa
• use one's own initiative    usar sua própria iniciativa

Русский (Russian)
инициатива, начальный

idioms:

• have the initiative    иметь возможность проявить инициативу
• take the initiative    проявить инициативу
• use one's own initiative    проявить инициативу в экстремальных условиях

Español (Spanish)
n. - iniciativa
adj. - iniciativo, inicial, preliminar

idioms:

• have the initiative    tener iniciativa
• take the initiative    tomar la iniciativa
• use one's own initiative    obrar por iniciativa propia

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - initiativ (äv. parl.), utspel, initiativkraft, förslagsrätt (parl.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
初步行动, 主动, 开始的, 创始的, 初步的

idioms:

• have the initiative    掌握主动
• take the initiative    采取主动
• use one's own initiative    主动地, 率先地, 可自己作主

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 初步行動, 主動
adj. - 開始的, 創始的, 初步的

idioms:

• have the initiative    掌握主動
• take the initiative    採取主動
• use one's own initiative    主動地, 率先地, 可自己作主

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 시작, 발의권, 독창력, 선제
adj. - 처음의, 솔선하는, 진취적인

idioms:

• have the initiative    주도권을 가지다
• take the initiative    솔선하다, 선수를 치다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 主導権, イニシアチブ, 率先, 実行力, 進取の気性, 首唱, 発議権, 第一歩, 手始め

idioms:

• have the initiative    主導権を持つ
• take the initiative    率先して

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مبادرة تصرف على عاتقه الخاص أو بمبادرة خاصه منه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮יזמה, צעד ראשון, התחלה‬
adj. - ‮מתחיל, פותח‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.