initiative
American Heritage Dictionary:
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in·i·tia·tive
(ĭ-nĭsh'ə-tĭv) 
n.
n.
- The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.
- A beginning or introductory step; an opening move: took the initiative in trying to solve the problem.
- The power or right to introduce a new legislative measure.
- The right and procedure by which citizens can propose a law by petition and ensure its submission to the electorate.
- Of or relating to initiation.
- Used to initiate; initiatory.
on (one's) own initiative
- Without prompting or direction from others; on one's own.
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initiative
Barron's Business Dictionary:
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initiative
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.
| Initialize, Initial Public Offering (IPO), Initial | |
| Injunction, Injury Independent of All Other Means, Inkjet Printer |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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initiative
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.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
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initiative
n
Definition: eagerness to do something
Antonyms: indifference, lethargy
Oxford Dictionary of Politics:
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initiative
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
Gale Encyclopedia of US History:
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Initiative
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.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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Initiative
initiative, the originating of a law or constitutional amendment by popular petition. It is intended to allow the electorate to initiate legislation independently of the legislature. This direct form of legislation, together with the referendum, was known in Greece and other early democracies. It is practiced in Switzerland. In the United States the initiative was recognized as early as 1777 in the first constitution of Georgia. It was subsequently adopted by a number of states and may apply also on local and city government levels. There are two kinds of initiative, direct and indirect. In both kinds of initiative a certain number of signatures (usually from 5% to 15% of the electorate in the district concerned) must appear on the petition that proposes the constitutional amendment or legislation. In direct initiative the proposed law is voted on in the next election, or in a special election, after a petition with the required number of signatures has been filed with state or local officials. In indirect initiative the petition goes directly to the legislature and reaches the people only if the legislature fails to enact it into law. In the 1990s ballot initiatives became increasingly popular as various interest groups sought to win approval of measures they supported.
Bibliography
See P. Schrag, Paradise Lost (1999).
West's Encyclopedia of American Law:
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Initiative
This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.
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.
McGraw-Hill Slang Dictionary:
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initiative
n. cocaine. (Drugs.) Maybe I need some more of that initiative to get me going.
Word Tutor:
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initiative
IN BRIEF: The first step in doing or beginning something.
In moments of crisis, the initiative passes to those who are best prepared.
— Morton C. Blackwell, American political educator.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'initiative'
- Acts, Powers, Conditions, and Procedures - initiative: petition to place legislation or constitutional amendment on ballot for voters’ direct approval
- Elections and Campaigns - initiative: procedure whereby voters sign petition to place issue or proposed law on ballot before electorate
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Initiative
This piece is about the popular or citizens' initiative. For alternative meanings of initiative, see Initiative (disambiguation).
In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote (plebiscite). The vote may be on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance, or, in its minimal form, to simply oblige the executive or legislative bodies to consider the subject by submitting it to the order of the day. It is a form of direct democracy.
The initiative may take the form of either the direct initiative or indirect initiative. Under the direct initiative, a measure is put directly to a vote after being submitted by a petition. Under the indirect initiative, a measure is first referred to the legislature, and then put to a popular vote only if not enacted by the legislature. In United States usage, a popular vote on a specific measure is referred to as a referendum only when originating with the legislature. Such a vote is known, when originating in the initiative process, as an "initiative," "ballot measure" or "proposition." In New Zealand a vote initiated by the public is called a citizen initiated referendum.
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Switzerland
It was included in the Swiss Federal Constitution in 1891, permitting a certain number of citizens (currently 100,000) to make a request to amend a constitutional article, or even to introduce a new article into the constitution. The right of initiative is also used at the cantonal and communal level in Switzerland (all cantons, all communes where the direct democratic citizens' participation originates); many cantons allow initiatives to enact regular non-constitutional law, but the federal system does not.
If the necessary number of supporters is reached, the initiative will be put to a referendum about two or three years later; the delay helps prevent short-term political moods from getting into the constitution. The parliament and government will both issue their official opinions on whether they recommend voting for or against the proposed amendment, and these opinions will be published.
The parliament may also pass an alternative amendment suggestion which will also be included on the ballot; in this case, the voters cast two votes, one for whether or not they want an amendment, and one for which one they want, the original one from the initiative or the one introduced in parliament, in case a majority decides for amending.
A citizen-proposed change to the constitution in Switzerland at the national level needs to achieve both a majority of the national popular vote and a majority of the canton-wide vote to pass. The vast majority of national initiatives introduced since 1891, when the system started, have failed to receive voter support.
Ireland
Provision for the initiative was included in the 1922 constitution of the Irish Free State but was hastily eliminated when republicans organised a drive to instigate a vote that would abolish the Oath of Allegiance, which was nevertheless later abolished by the government. The current 1937 constitution has no initiative.
United States
- Main article: Initiatives and referendums in the United States
The United States has no initiative process at the national level, but the initiative is in use at the level of state government in 24 states and the District of Columbia,[1] and is also in common use at the local government level.
Article I, Section I of the United States Constitution vests "all legislative powers herein granted" to the Congress of the United States." Establishing a national initiative procedure would likely require an amendment to the Constitution, which would under Article V require two-thirds of both houses of Congress or the application of two-thirds of the state legislatures to propose, and three-fourths of all state legislatures (or conventions in three-fourths of the states) to ratify. The Constitution itself was not ratified by referendum, but pursuant to Article VII was instead ratified by state conventions elected by the people.
Several proposals have been made to institute a national referendum. The Ludlow Amendment, introduced several times to the House of Representatives by Louis Ludlow of Indiana between 1935 and 1940 during an era of heightened isolationist tendencies, proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would require a national referendum to declare war, except in the case of invasion and attack. The amendment came closest to overcoming a discharge petition on January 10, 1938, when it was defeated in the House by a vote of 209 to 188, far short of the two-thirds vote required.
Unsuccessful attempts to get initiatives have nevertheless occurred, but since the proposals were bills, not a constitutional amendments, probably no initiative could have lawfully been voted on notwithstanding the bills' passage. The first attempt to get national ballot initiatives occurred in 1907 when House Joint Resolution 44 was introduced by Rep. Elmer Fulton of Oklahoma; the proposal was never put to a vote. In 1977, both the Abourezk-Hatfield National Voter Initiative and the Jagt Resolutions never got out of committee. Senator Mike Gravel was part of that effort.
The modern U.S. system of initiative and referendum originated in the state of South Dakota. South Dakota adopted initiative and referendum in 1898 by a vote of 23,816 to 16,483. Oregon was the second state to adopt and did so in 1902, when the state's legislators adopted it by an overwhelming majority. The "Oregon System", as it was at first known, subsequently spread to many other states, and became one of the signature reforms of the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s).
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European Union
Union level
Main article: European Citizens' Initiative
The rejected Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE) included a limited indirect initiative right (Article I-46(4)). The proposal of introducing the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) was that 1,000,000 citizens, from minimal numbers of different member states, could invite the executive body of the European Union (EU), the European Commission, to consider any proposal "on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Constitution." The precise mechanism had not been agreed upon. Critics underlined the weakness of this right of initiative, which did not ultimately entail any vote or referendum.
A similar scheme under the same name, European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), has been put forward in the now ratified European Lisbon Treaty (which entered into force on 1 December 2009), enabling a limited indirect initiative right.[2] It follows very similar rules to the ones outlined in the European Constitution, requiring the signatures of 1,000 000 European Nationals. These citizens would thereby obtain the same right to request the Commission to submit a legislative proposal as the Council has had since the establishment of the European Communities in 1957.[3] This, however, does require that the signatures come from a "significant number" of Member States. It is suggested that this significant number will need to be around a quarter of member states, with at least 1/500 of the citizens in those member states supporting the initiative. With the variety of languages within the European Union, this creates a significant hurdle for people to navigate. The treaty also makes it clear that right of initiative should not be confused with the right to petition, particularly since a petition is directed to Parliament[4] while a citizens' initiative is directed to the Commission; whereas a petition is a method of remonstrance, usually focussing on perceived infringements of European Law, an initiative is a grassroots proposal for new legislation.
It remains to be seen if the ECI evolves into a full initiative or remains in its present state of a de facto petition.[5][6]
France
A limited, indirect form of local initiative was added to the French Constitution (article 72-1, référendum d'initiative locale) on 28 March 2003 as part of decentralization reforms. However, the only power these "local referendum initiatives" confer on citizens is the ability to add propositions to their local assembly's meeting agenda. The decision as to whether to submit citizen propositions to a popular vote (referendum) rests with the local assembly.
Germany
All German states have the right to initiative. However, there is no constitutional citizens' initiative in Germany at a federal level.
Canada
British Columbia
The Canadian province of British Columbia has a citizen initiative law known as the Recall and Initiative Act. The original proposal was put to voters in a referendum held in October 1991 and was supported by over 83% of voters. It was subsequently put into force by the incoming NDP government. Since it came into force in 1995, several attempts have been made to hold an initiative, but until the fall of 2010, none had succeeded in reaching the first of the thresholds – namely, securing signatures of 10% of registered voters in each riding throughout British Columbia. The first referendum to be held under this legislation is currently scheduled for September 2011 on the subject of repealing the Harmonized Sales Tax. Details of its use in BC are available on the Elections BC website.
Philippines
People's initiative to propose amendments to the constitution is enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution under Article XVII Section 2, which states:
| “ | Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least twelve per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered voters therein. No amendment under this section shall be authorized within five years following the ratification of this Constitution nor oftener than once every five years thereafter. | ” |
This provision is further protected by Republic Act 6735 or The Initiative and Referendum Act.[7] The law defines initiative as:
- A petition to propose amendments to the constitution.
- A petition to propose enactment of national legislation.
- A petition to propose enactment of local resolution or ordinance on regional, provincial, city, municipal, or barangay level.
The law also provides indirect initiative defining the exercise of people's initiative through a proposition sent to congress or local legislative body for action.
See also
- Bond measure
- History of direct democracy in the United States
- Initiatives and referendums in the United States
- List of politics-related topics
- List of Arizona ballot propositions
- List of California ballot propositions
- List of Colorado ballot measures
- List of Oregon ballot measures
- List of Washington initiatives
- Ombudsman
- Popular referendum
- Recall election
- Referendum
- Walter Mengden
References
- ^ "State by state listing of where initiatives and referendums are used". Iandrinstitute.org. http://www.iandrinstitute.org/statewide_i%26r.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ http://bookshop.europa.eu/eubookshop/download.action?fileName=NA7809931ENC_002.pdf&eubphfUid=10740063&catalogNbr=NA-78-09-931-EN-C
- ^ Texts adopted - Thursday, 7 May 2009 - Implementation of the citizens' initiative - P6_TA-PROV(2009)0389
- ^ Parliament : Petitions
- ^ European Citizens' Initiative on the European Commission's web
- ^ European Citizens' Initiative on the initiator's web:
citizens-initiative.eu
democracy-international.org/eci.html - ^ http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno6735.htm
External links
Europe
United States
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Initiative
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
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
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Barron's Business Dictionary
Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2007 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Politics
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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Gale Encyclopedia of US History
Encyclopedia of American History Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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West's Encyclopedia of American Law
West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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