Abbott, Jared <br/><br/>
When participation wins votes: Explaining the emergence of large-scale participatory democracy 

 - Comparative Politics  
 - 54(1), Oct, 2021: p.97-122 
<br/><br/> Why are large-scale participatory institutions implemented in some countries but only adopted on paper in others? I argue that nationwide implementation of Binding Participatory Institutions (BPIs)-a critical subtype of participatory institutions-is dependent on the backing of a strong institutional supporter, often a political party. In turn, parties will only implement BPIs if they place a lower value on the political costs than on the potential benefits of implementation. This will be true if: 1) significant societal demand exists for BPI implementation and 2) the party's political opponents cannot take advantage of BPIs for their own gain. I test this theory through two detailed case studies of Venezuela and Ecuador, drawing on 165 interviews with key national-level actors and grassroots activists.- Reproduced <br/><br/>https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/cuny/cp/2021/00000054/00000001/art00006<br/> 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>Participatory institutions, Binding participatory institutions, Political parties, Institutional support, Political costs, Implementation benefits, Societal demand, Opposition strategy, Policy adoption, Venezuela case study, Ecuador case study, Grassroots activism, National-level actors, Comparative politics, Democratic innovation, Institutional backing, Political incentives, Governance reform, Interview-based research, Paper implementation