Understanding the Occurrence and Outcome of Self-Determination Referenda in Europe: a Conceptual and Methodological Introduction

Niessen, Christoph
(2018) Workshop on Autonomy Referenda in Europe: Comparing Usual Suspects and Deviant Cases — Location: Université de Namur (8.September.2018)

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Abstract
In recent decades, there has been an increasing self-determination mobilization within state or sub-state communities in favor of altering the territorial unit that is responsible for (all or parts of) the political sovereignty that is exercised on them. The most particular form of this mobilization are self-determination referenda that allow the population to express their opinion on the degree of autonomy or even independence that their state or territorial community should have. This article exposes a conceptual framework that specifies what self-determination entails, who precisely is its holder and what different types of self-determination referenda could exist. In addition, it provides several methodological considerations for the selection of cases that are studied in this special-issue and on the generalizability of their findings. In doing so, it prepares a comprehensive research studying (1) why some communities mobilized for holding a self-determination referendum, while others did not, (2) why some states accepted its organization, while others did not, and ultimately (3) why it succeed in some places, while in others it did not?
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Niessen, C. (2018). Understanding the Occurrence and Outcome of Self-Determination Referenda in Europe: a Conceptual and Methodological Introduction. Workshop on Autonomy Referenda in Europe: Comparing Usual Suspects and Deviant Cases, Université de Namur. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/172260