Initiative vs. Project — What's the Difference?

In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a public vote in the legislature in what is called indirect initiative, or under direct initiative, where the proposition is put to a plebiscite or referendum, in what is called a Popular initiated Referendum or citizen-initiated referendum. In an indirect initiative, a measure is first referred to the legislature, and then put to a popular vote only if not enacted by the legislature.

A project (or program) is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned (usually by a project team, but sometimes by a project manager or by a project planner) to achieve a particular aim.An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be executed over a fixed period and within certain cost and other limitations".A project may be a temporary (rather than permanent) social system (work system), possibly staffed by teams (within or across organizations) to accomplish particular tasks under time constraints.A project may form a part of wider programme management or function as an ad hoc system.Note that open-source software "projects" or artists' musical "projects" (for example) may lack defined team-membership, precise planning and/or time-limited durations.

The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.

An undertaking requiring concerted effort

A beginning or introductory step; an opening move

An extensive task undertaken by a student or group of students to apply, illustrate, or supplement classroom lessons.

The power or right to introduce a new legislative measure.

A plan or proposal for accomplishing something.

The right and procedure by which citizens can propose a law by petition and ensure its submission to the electorate.

Also projects A housing project.

Of or relating to initiation.

To thrust outward or forward

Used to initiate; initiatory.

To throw forward; hurl

Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.

To send out into space; cast

In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.

To cause (an image) to appear on a surface by the controlled direction of light

A beginning; a first move.

(Mathematics) To produce (a projection).

A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.

To direct (one's voice) so as to be heard clearly at a distance.

The ability to act first or on one's own.

(Psychology) To attribute (one's own emotion or motive, for example) to someone else unconsciously in order to avoid anxiety or guilt.

(politics) An issue to be voted on, brought to the ballot by a sufficient number of signatures from among the voting public.

To convey an impression of to an audience or to others

Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.

To form a plan or intention for

An introductory step or movement; an act which originates or begins.

To calculate, estimate, or predict (something in the future), based on present data or trends

The right or power to introduce a new measure or course of action, as in legislation; as, the initiative in respect to revenue bills is in the House of Representatives.

To extend forward or out; jut out

The right or procedure by which legislation may be introduced or enacted directly by the people, as in the Swiss Confederation and in many of the States of the United States; - chiefly used with the. The procedure of the initiative is essentially as follows: Upon the filing of a petition signed by a required number or percentage of qualified voters the desired measure must be submitted to a popular vote, and upon receiving the required majority (commonly a majority of those voting on the measure submitted) it becomes a law. In some States of the United States the initiative is only local; in others it is state-wide and includes the making of constitutional amendments.

To direct one's voice so as to be heard clearly at a distance.

A character trait manifested in a readiness and ability to initiate action; an enterprising spirit; a go-getting attitude; energy; drive; get-up-and-go.

A planned endeavor, usually with a specific goal and accomplished in several steps or stages.

In interactive activities, such as conversation or games, the right or opportunity to set the course of action; as, to have the initiative.

An urban low-income housing building.

Readiness to embark on bold new ventures

(dated) An idle scheme; an impracticable design.

The first of a series of actions;

A raw recruit who the team hopes will improve greatly with coaching; a long shot diamond in the rough

Serving to set in motion;

(obsolete) A projectile.

(obsolete) A projection.

(intransitive) To extend beyond a surface.

(transitive) To cast (an image or shadow) upon a surface; to throw or cast forward; to shoot forth.

(transitive) To extend (a protrusion or appendage) outward.

(transitive) To make plans for; to forecast.

To present (oneself), to convey a certain impression, usually in a good way.

To assume qualities or mindsets in others based on one's own personality.

(cartography) To change the projection (or coordinate system) of spatial data with another projection.

(geometry) To draw straight lines from a fixed point through every point of any body or figure, and let these fall upon a surface so as to form the points of a new figure.

(neuroanatomy) (of a neuron or group of neurons) to have axon(s) extending to and therefore able to influence a remote location

To speak or sing in such a way that one can be heard from a large distance away.

The place from which a thing projects, or starts forth.

That which is projected or designed; something intended or devised; a scheme; a design; a plan.

An idle scheme; an impracticable design; as, a man given to projects.

To throw or cast forward; to shoot forth.

To cast forward or revolve in the mind; to contrive; to devise; to scheme; as, to project a plan.

To draw or exhibit, as the form of anything; to delineate; as, to project a sphere, a map, an ellipse, and the like; - sometimes with on, upon, into, etc.; as, to project a line or point upon a plane. See Projection, 4.

To shoot forward; to extend beyond something else; to be prominent; to jut; as, the cornice projects; branches project from the tree.

To form a project; to scheme.

Any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted;

A planned undertaking

Communicate vividly;

Extend out or project in space;

Transfer (ideas or principles) from one domain into another

Project on a screen;

Cause to be heard;

Draw a projection of

Make or work out a plan for; devise;

Present for consideration

Imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind;

Put or send forth;

Throw, send, or cast forward;

Regard as objective