Secession and Intelligibility of a Referendum Question (RQ) - From Québec to Scotland (1980-2014)

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F49777513%3A23330%2F16%3A43929447" target="_blank" >RIV/49777513:23330/16:43929447 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://alppi.vedeckecasopisy.cz/publicFiles/001223.pdf" target="_blank" >http://alppi.vedeckecasopisy.cz/publicFiles/001223.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Secession and Intelligibility of a Referendum Question (RQ) - From Québec to Scotland (1980-2014)

Original language description

The article is exploring the evaluation of norms and principles of an intelligible referendum question (RQ) from 1980 Québec?s biased formula until 2014 clearly constructed wording of the question for independence referendum held in Scotland. In this text, for the purpose of evaluation of whether a formula was biased or intelligible, the criteria introduced recently by the Electoral Commission in the UK were employed. In concrete, it means that RQ shall be clear and simple, to the point, unambiguous, neutral and avoid misleading voters. Apart from biased RQ?s in 1980 and 1995 Québec?s referendums, six following referendums on independence were carefully selected for the investigation. Secessions and attempted secessions in European context will be represented by the cases of Montenegro, Catalonia, and Scotland, while the post-colonial secessionist units from a larger state apply for Eritrea, East Timor and South Sudan. Findings were surprising in several aspects. First, liberal-democracies in the West totally failed to formulate intelligible RQ when it was constructed unilaterally by secessionists. On the contrary, if the RQ was formulated under international supervision, the formula submitted to voters was much more intelligible in most cases. Apart from biased RQ in East Timor, it applies for post-colonial cases also. There is no evidence of a strong impact of principles linked to a clear and intelligible RQ evaluated in Canada and the UK on formulation of concrete RQ on independence.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

AD - Political sciences

OECD FORD branch

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Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2016

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

The Annual of Language &amp; Politics and Politics of Identity (ALPPI)

ISSN

1803-1757

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

10

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Number of pages

24

Pages from-to

49-72

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

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