Money In Politics

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Money, Power, and Elections

Author : Rodney A. Smith
Publisher : LSU Press
ISBN 13 : 0807156329
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis Money, Power, and Elections by : Rodney A. Smith

Download or read book Money, Power, and Elections written by Rodney A. Smith and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2014-04-07 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have campaign finance reform laws actually worked? Is money less influential in electing candidates today than it was thirty years ago when legislation was first enacted? Absolutely not, argues Rodney A. Smith in this passionately written, fact-filled, and provocative book. According to Smith, the laws have had exactly the opposite of their intended effect. They have increased the likelihood that incumbents in the House and Senate will be reelected, and they have greatly diminished the chances that candidates who are not wealthy will be elected. Smith's claims are supported by convincing data; he collected and analyzed information about all federal elections since 1920. These data show clearly that money matters now more than ever. Smith thinks that reform legislation has created a new inequality for candidates that, if left unchecked, threatens to destroy the American electoral process by obliterating the foundational principle of free speech. He argues that "money buys speech" and when candidates lack money to buy media time and space they are effectively silenced. Their inability to "speak freely" violates the most significant intentions of our nation's founders: that a sovereign citizenry elect its own leaders based on a free exchange of ideas. For Smith, campaign finance reform has unwittingly unbalanced the checks and balances created by the Framers of the Constitution.After presenting a detailed historical overview of how we have reached the present crisis, Smith proposes a simple solution: institute a process that completely discloses relevant information about campaign donors and recipients of donations. All disclosures would be available to the media, which would be able to investigate and report them fully. Only then, Smith believes, will the United States have the opportunity to be the democratic republic that its founders intended.

Super PACs

Author : Louise I. Gerdes
Publisher : Greenhaven Publishing LLC
ISBN 13 : 0737768649
Total Pages : 113 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (377 download)

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Book Synopsis Super PACs by : Louise I. Gerdes

Download or read book Super PACs written by Louise I. Gerdes and published by Greenhaven Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2014-05-20 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The passage of Citizens United by the Supreme Court in 2010 sparked a renewed debate about campaign spending by large political action committees, or Super PACs. Its ruling said that it is okay for corporations and labor unions to spend as much as they want in advertising and other methods to convince people to vote for or against a candidate. This book provides a wide range of opinions on the issue. Includes primary and secondary sources from a variety of perspectives; eyewitnesses, scientific journals, government officials, and many others.

The Currency of Politics

Author : Stefan Eich
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691235430
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

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Book Synopsis The Currency of Politics by : Stefan Eich

Download or read book The Currency of Politics written by Stefan Eich and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-08-22 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Money in the history of political thought, from ancient Greece to the Great Inflation of the 1970s In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, critical attention has shifted from the economy to the most fundamental feature of all market economies—money. Yet despite the centrality of political struggles over money, it remains difficult to articulate its democratic possibilities and limits. The Currency of Politics takes readers from ancient Greece to today to provide an intellectual history of money, drawing on the insights of key political philosophers to show how money is not just a medium of exchange but also a central institution of political rule. Money appears to be beyond the reach of democratic politics, but this appearance—like so much about money—is deceptive. Even when the politics of money is impossible to ignore, its proper democratic role can be difficult to discern. Stefan Eich examines six crucial episodes of monetary crisis, recovering the neglected political theories of money in the thought of such figures as Aristotle, John Locke, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes. He shows how these layers of crisis have come to define the way we look at money, and argues that informed public debate about money requires a better appreciation of the diverse political struggles over its meaning. Recovering foundational ideas at the intersection of monetary rule and democratic politics, The Currency of Politics explains why only through greater awareness of the historical limits of monetary politics can we begin to articulate more democratic conceptions of money.

The Price of Democracy

Author : Julia Cagé
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 067424611X
Total Pages : 465 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (742 download)

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Book Synopsis The Price of Democracy by : Julia Cagé

Download or read book The Price of Democracy written by Julia Cagé and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why and how systems of political financing and representation in Europe and North America give outsized influence to the wealthy and undermine democracy, and what we can do about it. One person, one vote. In theory, everyone in a democracy has equal power to decide elections. But it’s hardly news that, in reality, political outcomes are heavily determined by the logic of one dollar, one vote. We take the political power of money for granted. But does it have to be this way? In The Price of Democracy, Julia Cagé combines economic and historical analysis with political theory to show how profoundly our systems in North America and Europe, from think tanks and the media to election campaigns, are shaped by money. She proposes fundamental reforms to bring democracy back into line with its egalitarian promise. Cagé shows how different countries have tried to develop legislation to curb the power of private money and to develop public systems to fund campaigns and parties. But these attempts have been incoherent and unsystematic. She demonstrates that it is possible to learn from these experiments in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere to design a better system that would increase political participation and trust. This would involve setting a strict cap on private donations and creating a public voucher system to give each voter an equal amount to spend in support of political parties. More radically, Cagé argues that a significant fraction of seats in parliamentary assemblies should be set aside for representatives from disadvantaged socioeconomic groups. At a time of widespread political disenchantment, The Price of Democracy is a bracing reminder of the problems we face and an inspirational guide to the potential for reform.

Political Finance Reforms

Author : Yukihiko Hamada
Publisher : International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
ISBN 13 : 9176713563
Total Pages : 37 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (767 download)

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Book Synopsis Political Finance Reforms by : Yukihiko Hamada

Download or read book Political Finance Reforms written by Yukihiko Hamada and published by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). This book was released on 2021-02-04 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Money is a necessary component of any democracy: it enables political participation, campaigning and representation. However, if it is not effectively regulated, it can undermine the integrity of political processes and institutions, and jeopardize the quality of democracy. Therefore, regulations related to the funding of political parties and election campaigns, commonly known as political finance, are a critical way to promote integrity, transparency and accountability in any democracy. Political finance regulations must adapt and adjust to political, economic and societal changes. This report contributes to the discussion of the future of political finance by exploring the following trends, opportunities and challenges related to money in politics that need to be taken into consideration when improving political finance systems: · mainstreaming political finance regulations into an overall anti-corruption framework; · supporting the implementation of existing political finance regulations and monitoring their performance; · harnessing digital technologies to ensure transparency and accountability in political finance; and · designing targeted political finance measures to encourage the inclusion of underrepresented groups in politics.

Campaign Finance and American Democracy

Author : David M. Primo
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022671294X
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Campaign Finance and American Democracy by : David M. Primo

Download or read book Campaign Finance and American Democracy written by David M. Primo and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-10-19 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades, and particularly since the US Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United decision, lawmakers and other elites have told Americans that stricter campaign finance laws are needed to improve faith in the elections process, increase trust in the government, and counter cynicism toward politics. But as David M. Primo and Jeffrey D. Milyo argue, politicians and the public alike should reconsider the conventional wisdom in light of surprising and comprehensive empirical evidence to the contrary. Primo and Milyo probe original survey data to determine Americans’ sentiments on the role of money in politics, what drives these sentiments, and why they matter. What Primo and Milyo find is that while many individuals support the idea of reform, they are also skeptical that reform would successfully limit corruption, which Americans believe stains almost every fiber of the political system. Moreover, support for campaign finance restrictions is deeply divided along party lines, reflecting the polarization of our times. Ultimately, Primo and Milyo contend, American attitudes toward money in politics reflect larger fears about the health of American democracy, fears that will not be allayed by campaign finance reform.

Money and Politics

Author : David Donnelly
Publisher : Beacon Press
ISBN 13 : 9780807043158
Total Pages : 124 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis Money and Politics by : David Donnelly

Download or read book Money and Politics written by David Donnelly and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why we need true reform and how it can finally be achieved "American politics has become an arms race, with money doing the work of missiles. One side escalates and the other follows suit. As the spiral grows it is undermining the soul of democracy. But here's the good news: the majority of Americans want a new system of campaign finance. Every time voters have had a chance to choose a different way, they have spoken loud and clear. Clean money initiatives are proving the citizens' response to the corruption that has turned our elections into auctions. This book is the blueprint to returning democracy to politics." --Bill Moyers As we approach our next presidential election, few issues loom larger than campaign finance reform. While the Senate has agreed to vote on a sweeping bill for reform at the federal level, state voters have passed, or are about to vote on, ballots that limit the amount of private money flooding into campaign war chests. Money and Politics argues that only the full public funding of elections, as enacted with the adoption in Maine of the Clean Elections Act, can solve our campaign financing crisis. Their evaluation of its pros and cons is particularly timely as parts of the Maine option are being considered in competing congressional reform bills. Many of the contributors to this volume have worked closely on campaign finance reform, including Senator Russell Feingold, coauthor of the landmark McCain-Feingold Act. Persuasive, accessible, and controversial, this book makes an important contribution to our debate about the most democratic way to elect the politicians who represent us. NEW DEMOCRACY FORUM A series of short paperbackoriginals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. The series editors (for Boston Review), Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers, aim to foster politically engaged, intellectually honest, and morally serious debat

Money People Politics

Author : Marco Grob
Publisher : teNeues
ISBN 13 : 9783832795405
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (954 download)

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Book Synopsis Money People Politics by : Marco Grob

Download or read book Money People Politics written by Marco Grob and published by teNeues. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spanning over a decade of his portrait work, showing some of the most dynamic, influential, and controversial figures in modern politics, popular culture, sports, entertainment, technology, science, space travel, and global culture, Money People Politics is an electrifying retrospective from renowned contemporary photographer, Marco Grob. Whether a candid moment of vulnerability, raw emotion, or the direct unadulterated gaze, Grob's portraits are uniquely ennobling, but ultimately human. Through his autonomous and intimate photographic process with each special personality that has impacted and shaped recent culture, the photographer has been granted a rare and privileged "front row seat to history." Wholly passionate and committed to his craft that began as a beloved hobby over 30 years ago, Marco Grob believes that when you "carry a camera, you carry a responsibility."

The Oxford Handbook of Political Philosophy

Author : David Estlund
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199704058
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Political Philosophy by : David Estlund

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Political Philosophy written by David Estlund and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-05-21 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even though political philosophy has a long tradition, it is much more than the study of old and great treatises. Contemporary philosophers continue to press new arguments on old and timeless questions, but also to propose departures and innovations. The field changes over time, and new work inevitably responds both to events in the world and to the directions of thought itself. This volume includes 22 new pieces by leaders in the field on both perennial and emerging topics of keen interest to contemporary political philosophers. In addition to longstanding issues such as Authority, Equality, and Freedom, and Democracy, there are articles on less classical topics such as Race, Historical Injustice, Deliberation, Money and Politics, Global Justice, and Ideal and Non-Ideal Theory. All of the pieces combine clarity and accessibility with a top scholar's critical and original point of view. The introductory essay briefly situates this snapshot of the state of the art in a broader view of developments in political philosophy in the last 40 years, and looks forward to future developments. Students and scholars alike will find the pieces to be valuable not only surveys but as provocations to think further about the questions, puzzles, and practical problems that animate recent work in political philosophy. The issues will be of interest to many working in philosophy, political science, law, economics, and more.

Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns

Author : Julie Ballington
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns by : Julie Ballington

Download or read book Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns written by Julie Ballington and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook provides a general description of the different models of political finance regulations and analyses the relationship between party funding and effective democracy. The most important part of the book is an extensive matrix on political finance laws and regulations for about 100 countries. Public funding regulations, ceilings on campaign expenditure, bans on foreign donations and enforcing an agency are some of the issues covered in the study. Includes regional studies and discusses how political funding can affect women and men differently, and the delicate issue of monitoring, control and enforcement of political finance laws.

Money, Politics, and Democracy

Author : Harold J. Jansen
Publisher : UBC Press
ISBN 13 : 077481893X
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (748 download)

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Book Synopsis Money, Politics, and Democracy by : Harold J. Jansen

Download or read book Money, Politics, and Democracy written by Harold J. Jansen and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2011-02-08 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2004, Jean Chrtien's Liberals banned corporations and unions from contributing financially to political parties. In 2008, opposition leaders were prepared to defeat the Conservative Party over its proposal to eliminate public subsidies to parties. In this book, prominent political scientists explore the underlying issues that led to the showdown. Are publicly funded parties compatible with democracy? What effects has party finance reform had on elections and on the balance of power between parties and donors and between national parties and local organizations? Contributors show that campaign finance reforms have shaped party organization and electoral competition, contributing to successive minority governments.

Pay-to-Play Politics

Author : Heath Brown
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1440850062
Total Pages : 200 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (48 download)

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Book Synopsis Pay-to-Play Politics by : Heath Brown

Download or read book Pay-to-Play Politics written by Heath Brown and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-04-11 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pay-to-Play Politics examines money and politics from different angles to understand a central paradox of American democracy: why, when the public and politicians decry money as the worst aspect of American politics, are there so few signs of change? Everyone from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders to Ted Cruz complains about the corrupting role of money and politics, but money is the lifeblood of their political survival. The public, too, deplores big money politics, despite regularly reelecting the richest candidates for office. The purpose of this book is to reconcile how—against many people's wishes—the connection between money and politics has come to define American democracy. Examining the issue from the perspective of the public, the courts, big business, Congress, and the presidency, Heath Brown argues that money can often be harmful to the political process, but not always in ways we expect or in ways we can directly observe. More money does not necessarily guarantee electoral, legislative, or executive victories, but money does greatly change political access, opportunity, and trust. Without a nuanced understanding of the nature of the problem, future reforms will be misguided and fruitless. Pay-to-Play Politics concludes by making concrete recommendations for reform, including feasible ways to reach bipartisan consensus.

Follow the Money

Author : Sarah Reckhow
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199937737
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (999 download)

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Book Synopsis Follow the Money by : Sarah Reckhow

Download or read book Follow the Money written by Sarah Reckhow and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-17 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some of the nation's wealthiest philanthropies, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Broad Foundation have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in education reform. With vast wealth and a political agenda, these foundations have helped to reshape the reform landscape in urban education. In Follow the Money, Sarah Reckhow shows where and how foundation investment in education is occurring and presents in-depth analysis of the effects of these investments within the two largest urban districts in the United States: New York City and Los Angeles. In New York City, centralized political control and the use of private resources have enabled rapid implementation of reform proposals. Yet this potent combination of top-down authority and outside funding also poses serious questions about transparency, responsiveness, and democratic accountability in New York. Furthermore, the sustainability of reform policies is closely linked to the political fortunes of the current mayor and his chosen school leader. While the media has highlighted the efforts of drastic reformers and dominating leaders such as Joel Klein in New York City and Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C., a slower, but possibly more transformative, set of reforms have been taking place in Los Angeles. These reforms were also funded and shaped by major foundations, but they work from the bottom up, through charter school operators managing networks of schools. This strategy has built grassroots political momentum and demand for reform in Los Angeles that is unmatched in New York City and other districts with mayoral control. Reckhow's study of Los Angeles's education system shows how democratically responsive urban school reform could occur-pairing foundation investment with broad grassroots involvement. Bringing a sharp analytical eye and a wealth of evidence to one of the most politicized issues of our day, Follow the Money will reshape our thinking about educational reform in America.

When Crime Pays

Author : Milan Vaishnav
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300216203
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis When Crime Pays by : Milan Vaishnav

Download or read book When Crime Pays written by Milan Vaishnav and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-01-01 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first thorough study of the co-existence of crime and democratic processes in Indian politics In India, the world's largest democracy, the symbiotic relationship between crime and politics raises complex questions. For instance, how can free and fair democratic processes exist alongside rampant criminality? Why do political parties recruit candidates with reputations for wrongdoing? Why are one-third of state and national legislators elected--and often re-elected--in spite of criminal charges pending against them? In this eye-opening study, political scientist Milan Vaishnav mines a rich array of sources, including fieldwork on political campaigns and interviews with candidates, party workers, and voters, large surveys, and an original database on politicians' backgrounds to offer the first comprehensive study of an issue that has implications for the study of democracy both within and beyond India's borders.

Hot Money and the Politics of Debt

Author : R.T. Naylor
Publisher : McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
ISBN 13 : 0773572074
Total Pages : 563 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (735 download)

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Book Synopsis Hot Money and the Politics of Debt by : R.T. Naylor

Download or read book Hot Money and the Politics of Debt written by R.T. Naylor and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2004-08-17 with total page 563 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A ball of hot money rolls around the world. It seeks anonymity and political refuge. It dodges taxes and sidesteps currency controls. It rolls through offshore shell companies and secret bank accounts, phoney charities and fraudulent religious foundations. It is kept rolling by white-collar criminals, gun-runners, drug dealers, insurgent groups, scam artists, tax evaders, gold and gem smugglers, and, not least, secret service agents plotting coups and financing revolutions. R.T. Naylor explains the origins of this pool of hot and homeless money, its origins, its uses and abuses, how the world of high finance, corporate and governmental, became hostage to it, and the price the world is paying and will continue to pay until the hostages are released. This book was one of the first, and remains the most comprehensive, to dissect the world of offshore finance, capital flight, money laundering, and tax evasion. Once a subject of concern principally to tax authorities and finance ministries, since the September 11, 2001 hot and homeless money has now become a central preoccupation for police forces and intelligence services around the world.

Capitalism v. Democracy

Author : Timothy Kuhner
Publisher : Stanford Law Books
ISBN 13 : 9780804791564
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (915 download)

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Book Synopsis Capitalism v. Democracy by : Timothy Kuhner

Download or read book Capitalism v. Democracy written by Timothy Kuhner and published by Stanford Law Books. This book was released on 2014-06-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As of the latest national elections, it costs approximately $1 billion to become president, $10 million to become a Senator, and $1 million to become a Member of the House. High-priced campaigns, an elite class of donors and spenders, superPACs, and increasing corporate political power have become the new normal in American politics. In Capitalism v. Democracy, Timothy Kuhner explains how these conditions have corrupted American democracy, turning it into a system of rule that favors the wealthy and marginalizes ordinary citizens. Kuhner maintains that these conditions have corrupted capitalism as well, routing economic competition through political channels and allowing politically powerful companies to evade market forces. The Supreme Court has brought about both forms of corruption by striking down campaign finance reforms that limited the role of money in politics. Exposing the extreme economic worldview that pollutes constitutional interpretation, Kuhner shows how the Court became the architect of American plutocracy. Capitalism v. Democracy offers the key to understanding why corporations are now citizens, money is political speech, limits on corporate spending are a form of censorship, democracy is a free market, and political equality and democratic integrity are unconstitutional constraints on money in politics. Supreme Court opinions have dictated these conditions in the name of the Constitution, as though the Constitution itself required the privatization of democracy. Kuhner explores the reasons behind these opinions, reveals that they form a blueprint for free market democracy, and demonstrates that this design corrupts both politics and markets. He argues that nothing short of a constitutional amendment can set the necessary boundaries between capitalism and democracy.

Money in American Politics

Author : David Schultz
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (161 download)

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Book Synopsis Money in American Politics by : David Schultz

Download or read book Money in American Politics written by David Schultz and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2018-06-08 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How much does money really matter in American politics? A first-of-its-kind reference book, this encyclopedia provides the most up-to-date research and analysis regarding how money affects American campaigns, elections, politics, and public policy. Some Americans have come to the conclusion that U.S. politics is dominated by money, that politicians are frequently if not routinely "bought and paid for," and that the only entities who wield political power are America's monied "elite" or powerful special interests like "big labor" or "Wall Street." But other American citizens believe that proposals to limit the influence of money in politics run counter to the free speech principles enshrined in the Constitution. This book will explores this compelling and controversial issue, examining where money in American politics comes from, where it goes, and the impact of all of those millions of dollars on American society. The entries objectively cover a breadth of major issues, organizations, individuals, court cases, and controversies surrounding the role of money in American politics, especially into the most recent events of the 21st century. Commentary by leading experts and scholars on American politics assess different aspects of how money is used for political purposes. The book explains the current state of knowledge about money in politics, including whether contributions and expenditures should be regulated; if so, how; and whether it even matters in terms of impact. While intended and written primarily for students at the high school and undergraduate levels, Money in American Politics: An Encyclopedia will also be of interest to general readers and experts looking to better understand how money affects campaigns, elections, and the making of law and policy in the United States.