Elster starts with the assertion that a direct democracy will tend to reverse its own decisions and to display inconsistent preferences over time. As he puts it, direct democracies are "incontinent, vacillating, and inefficient." On this basis, Elster goes on to argue that certain institutions in modern democracies may be considered precommitment devices.
Elster starts by claiming that direct democracies are prone to reversing their own decisions and displaying inconsistent preferences over time. He describes them as "unstable, indecisive, and inefficient." From this, Elster goes on to suggest that some institutions in modern democracies can be viewed as tools for making decisions ahead of time.