Details

Subject(s)

• Campaign funds [Browse]
• Polarization (Social sciences) [Browse]

Author

• Schaffner, Brian F. (Brian Frederick) [Browse]

Publisher

• Michigan Publishing (University of Michigan) [Browse]

Summary note

Efforts to reform the U.S. campaign finance system typically focus on the corrupting influence of large contributions. Yet, as Raymond J. La Raja and Brian F. Schaffner argue, reforms aimed at cutting the flow of money into politics have unintentionally favored candidates with extreme ideological agendas and, consequently, fostered political polarization. Drawing on data from 50 states and the U.S. Congress over 20 years, La Raja and Schaffner reveal that current rules allow wealthy ideological groups and donors to dominate the financing of political campaigns. In order to attract funding, candidates take uncompromising positions on key issues and, if elected, take their partisan views into the legislature. As a remedy, the authors propose that additional campaign money be channeled through party organizations-rather than directly to candidates-because these organizations tend to be less ideological than the activists who now provide the lion's share of money to political candidates. Shifting campaign finance to parties would ease polarization by reducing the influence of "purist" donors with their rigid policy stances. La Raja and Schaffner conclude the book with policy recommendations for campaign finance in the United States. They are among the few non-libertarians who argue that less regulation, particularly for political parties, may in fact improve the democratic process.

Notes

Description based upon print version of record.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Source of description

Description based on information from the publisher.

Rights and reproductions note

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported

Language note

English

Contents

Cover Page; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Contents; List of Figures and Tables; Preface; Chapter 1. Campaign Finance Laws, Purists, and Pragmatists: Who Benefits?; Chapter 2. The Ideological Wellsprings of Campaign Money; Chapter 3. Who Gets Campaign Money and Why Rules Matter; Chapter 4. Ideological Polarization in State Legislatures; Chapter 5. The Hydraulics of Campaign Money; Chapter 6. The Future of Reform: Build Canals, Not Dams; Notes; Bibliography; Index

ISBN

• 9780472900039
• 047290003X
• 9780472121601
• 047212160X

LCCN

2015025150

OCLC

927073955

Other standard number

• 10.3998/ump.13855466.0001.001

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