The Impact of Direct Democracy on Society - Universität St.Gallen

– 127 –Table 1: Fiscal Referenda and <strong>Direct</strong> <strong>Democracy</strong> in Swiss CantonsCantonNon-recurring expenditures a Recurring expenditures a Frey-Stutzer Index bOptional Mandatory Optional Mandatory (1992)ZH 2-20 20 0.2-2 2 4.17BE 2 0.4 3.50LU 3-25 25 specific stipulations 4.48UR 0.5 1 0.05 0.1 5.42SZ 0.25 0.05 4.93OW 0.5 1 0.1 0.2 5.58NW 0.25 5 0.05 0.5 4.92GL 0.5 0.1 5.50ZG 0.5 0.05 4.42FR 0.25 % 1 % 0.25 % 1 % 2.42SO 1-2 2 0.1-0.2 0.2 5.42BS 1 0.2 4.40BL 0.5 0.05 5.69SH 0.3-1 0.3 0.05-0.1 0.05 5.08AR 5% 1% 5.50AI 0.25 0.5 0.05 0.1 5.25SG 3-15 15 0.3-1.5 1.5 3.40GR 1-5 5 0.3-0.5 0.5 4.75AG 3 0.3 5.46TG 1 3 0.2 0.6 4.04TI 0.2 0.05 2.10VD 2.42VS 0.75% 0.25% 3.42NE 1.5% 1.5% 2.13GE 0.125 0.06 1.75JU 0.5 % 5% 0.05% 0.5% 3.71Source: G. LUTZ and D. STROHMANN (1998); B.S. FREY and A. STUTZER (2000).abIn million Swiss Francs if not indicated otherwise.<strong>The</strong> index is constructed by the signature requirement as the number <strong>of</strong> signatures relative to thenumber <strong>of</strong> voters, by the days within which the signatures have to be collected and by the financialthreshold as the per capita spending limit allowing for referendum (the values correspond to the year1992).tutory referendum. What is also striking are the differences between French- and Italianspeakingcantons and German-speaking cantons. <strong>The</strong> average index value <strong>of</strong> Germanspeakingcantons is with 4.9 considerable higher than that <strong>of</strong> French- and Italian-speakingcantons with 2.6. <strong>The</strong>se cultural differences must hence be considered carefully in theempirical analysis.