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The Influence of Campaign Contributions in State Legislatures

The Effects of Institutions and Politics

Lynda W Powell author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:The University of Michigan Press

Published:6th Mar '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Influence of Campaign Contributions in State Legislatures cover

Campaign contributions are widely viewed as a corrupting influence but most scholarly research concludes that they have marginal impact on legislative behavior. Lynda W. Powell shows that contributions have considerable influence in some state legislatures but very little in others. Using a national survey of legislators, she develops an innovative measure of influence and delineates the factors that explain this great variation across the 99 U.S. state legislative chambers.

Powell identifies the personal, institutional, and political factors that determine how much time a legislator devotes to personal fundraising and fundraising for the caucus. She shows that the extent of donors' legislative influence varies in ways corresponding to the same variations in the factors that determine fundraising time. She also confirms a link between fundraising and lobbying with evidence supporting the theory that contributors gain access to legislators based on donations, Powell's findings have important implications for the debate over the role of money in the legislative process.

Winner, American Political Science Association Richard F. Fenno, Jr. Prize, 2013

* Richard F. Fenno, Jr. Prize, American Political Science Associati

ISBN: 9780472051724

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

272 pages