「公民投票」乃是源自雅典的「直接民主制」(Direct-democracy)以及Rousseau的主權在民理論而屬於直接民主制或參與論學派(Participation or Direct-democracy school)。其認為透過直接民主得以使得全意志(General will)與共善(the public good)浮現而具有著規範性意義底存在。然而公民投票應有的規範性意義卻遭受到「理性選擇途徑」(Rational choice approach)的強烈挑戰－即民主（不論是直接民主或間接民主）投票與普遍意志或普遍利益之前並不存在必然相關性而僅是一種程序民主(Procedural democracy)。在這樣的挑戰下，公民投票的作用被理解為社會最大利益總和的工具或解決政治爭議的工具，而忽略了規範性意義才是公民投票制度的根本性根基所在。對於這樣的問題，本文再度回到Rousseau《社約論》的脈絡中，從Rousseau的核心概念－「個人自主性」(Autonomy)出發展開一系列公民投票底規範性意義論證。論證焦點集中於公民投票的「實行」與人類自主性的邏輯相關性（內在本質自由展現的規範意義），而非公民投票「結果」與全意志的邏輯必然性（數量性以及權威性的決斷意義）。據此，重現「公民投票的根本價值必然奠基於規範性意義」之上－即自主性的最高展現。

The Referendum originated from the direct-democracy of Athens and the sovereignty theory of Rousseau which is belonged to the participation or the direct-democracy school. The Referendum stands for the general will and the public good are realized through the direct-democracy therefore there is the normative because of it existing. But this statement faced a great challenge which is ”the rational choice approach”-It means the Referendum are only tools of the social great benefit's sum or the solving political disputes. It is just a kind of procedural democracy because it doesn't have the normative by itself. Eventually, for this state, this Journal Papers are turning back in the The Social Contract and Discourses's central idea of Rousseau-the Autonomy-Beginning to expound and prove the basic value of the Referendum must base on normative-the highest revealing of the Autonomy.