Misinformation in Referenda

This book identifies the impact of misinformation in the context of referenda.

While the notion of misinformation is at the center of current events and is the subject of several studies, it has rarely been addressed in the context of referenda nor from a multidisciplinary and comparative perspective. This book fills this gap. Different legal orders have been chosen because of their extensive referendum practices, namely, California, Switzerland and Italy; a recent legislative process on the issue of misinformation, Germany and France; or recent experience with a vote during which it was considered that false information had been disseminated, Brexit and Catalan independence. By bringing together authors from the political and legal sciences, the book focuses on combining the expertise of researchers from different backgrounds and origins in order to propose innovative solutions. In this regard, the book is characterized by the fact that it does not aim to combat misinformation per se, but develops suggestions meant to guarantee the conditions of formation of the political will during referenda.

The book will be an invaluable resource for legal scholars, political scientists and specialists of political communication. Outside the world of academia, the book may draw the attention of policy-makers, practitioners and journalists confronted with the challenges of misinformation or disinformation.