The Many Faces of Elite Power in the "System of 1896"

We formalize and test arguments originating with Schattschneider and Burnham about elite control of the governing process in the "system of 1896." To do so, we draw upon classic elite theory and contemporary public policy theory to specify the particular ways elite power might have operated and to deduce a series of hypotheses about such power at various stages in the policy process. Our empirical tests of the resultant propositions-for the controversy over direct democracy reform adoptions in individual American states-offer notable evidence for elite influence over the active agenda status of direct democracy proposals, as well as over the adoption, scope of adoption, and speediness of adoption of such reforms.