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.
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