Comparative Study of Catalan and Scottish Independence Referendums From the Populist

Both Catalunya, as an autonomous part of Spain, and Scotland, as a country included in the United Kingdom, have all the features of a nation - a territory, language, history, and ethnicity. They are both parts of the democratic countries respecting freedoms and rights. Thus, the demand for independence seems to be justified. The two cases are similar in many aspects but different in the government reaction towards imposition the referendum. With the help of the most similar systems design, this work determines how the decision to either allow or ban the referendum affects the power of the local elites. The growing popularity of referendums as a way to deal with issues of national importance implies the need to harmonize the relations between governors and the governed. This paper attempts to contribute to the debate on the nature of referendums, as by their nature, they are divisive instruments that may prove to be fertile soil for populism to develop. However, no consistent system has been developed to measure and compare populism. The role of a legal procedural basis and the involvement of the central government appears to be underestimated in constraining populism. What many papers seem to miss is that referendum is not merely equal to a vote; it includes careful preparations beforehand to ensure deliberation and qualitative discussion. In this study, a theoretical hypothesis comparing Scottish and Catalan independence referendums in terms of outcomes and the magnitude of being affected by populist rhetoric is postulated. The research on the link between populism and the government's reaction towards independence referendums seems to be missing. This thesis fills this existing gap in the literature. Moreover, what many studies fail to capture is the possible link between the participation of the government, which minimizes antagonism and, thus, leads to less populist tensions. This study may play an essential role in preserving the democratic nature of referendums and curing it of the ill of populism.