Are referendums a valuable supplement to parliamentary elections in representative democracies? An answer to this question depends on the design of referendums, such as the voting agenda, the quorum requirement, and the binding and sequential nature of referendums. 

Suzanne Bloks combines social choice and constitutional law in her analysis of referendum design. This interdisciplinary research was awarded the Bright Minds Award 2017 by Dare to Cross Over! of Utrecht University. It has led to the publication ‘Are Referendums and Parliamentary Elections Reconcilable? The Implications of Three Voting Paradoxes‘ in Moral Philosophy and Politics and to the publication ‘De Wet Raadgevend Referendum afschaffen of verbeteren?‘ in the Nederlands Juristenblad, which focusses on referendums in the Dutch context.