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Richer Parties, Better Politics? Party-Centered Campaign Finance Laws and American Democracy

Richer Parties, Better Politics? Party-Centered Campaign Finance Laws and American Democracy Abstract Would “party-centered” campaign finance laws that channel money primarily through party organizations improve American politics? Scholars have long argued that political parties are essential mediating institutions in a democracy. Yet in comparison to other democracies, American campaign finance laws have been designed to be “candidate-centered.” Constraints on political parties have also created opportunities for interest groups to engage directly in campaigns in support of favored candidates and policies. The growing presence in elections of interest groups at the expense of formal party organizations thus has potential negative implications for the functioning of democracy. This paper explains what we know about the relationship between money, campaign finance laws, and political parties, with the goal of exploring whether party-centered campaign finance laws might improve elections, representation, and governing. Importantly, it emphasizes the need for new knowledge that may help in designing new campaign finance laws. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Forum de Gruyter

Richer Parties, Better Politics? Party-Centered Campaign Finance Laws and American Democracy

The Forum , Volume 11 (3) – Oct 1, 2013

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References (138)

Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by the
ISSN
2194-6183
eISSN
1540-8884
DOI
10.1515/for-2013-0046
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Abstract Would “party-centered” campaign finance laws that channel money primarily through party organizations improve American politics? Scholars have long argued that political parties are essential mediating institutions in a democracy. Yet in comparison to other democracies, American campaign finance laws have been designed to be “candidate-centered.” Constraints on political parties have also created opportunities for interest groups to engage directly in campaigns in support of favored candidates and policies. The growing presence in elections of interest groups at the expense of formal party organizations thus has potential negative implications for the functioning of democracy. This paper explains what we know about the relationship between money, campaign finance laws, and political parties, with the goal of exploring whether party-centered campaign finance laws might improve elections, representation, and governing. Importantly, it emphasizes the need for new knowledge that may help in designing new campaign finance laws.

Journal

The Forumde Gruyter

Published: Oct 1, 2013

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