Direct democracy and intergenerational conflicts in ageing societies
研究了人口老龄化如何影响直接民主中的投票决策，以德国斯图加特21公投为例，发现年龄越大越不支持长期投资项目，这对类似改革构成潜在威胁。
Abstract To evaluate the potential effects of population ageing on the outcomes of direct democracy, we analyze the effect of age on voting decisions in public referendums. In a case study of the Stuttgart 21 referendum on one of the largest infrastructure projects in Germany, we find that support for the project decreased significantly in age. A quantitative review of the relevant literature affirms that similar lifecycle patterns appear to be the norm in referendums on projects that require initial expenditures and pay off in the long run. Population ageing, thus, presents a potential threat to investment‐like reform projects.