Abstract
One of the most important claims about the ballot initiative process is that it makes government more responsive to public demands than would be the case under a purely representative system. This argument has not been subject to systematic empirical analysis. In this article we test the claim about enhanced responsiveness, drawing on public opinion data, measures of policy outcomes, and information about the use of initiatives in the American states. We find no evidence that initiatives make for more responsive policy. We also offer a number of possible explanations for this conclusion.