Party Identification, the Policy Space and Business Donations to Political Parties

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6344802
AutoresIain Mcmenamin (0000-0002-1704-390X, Dublin City University, autor correspondente)
Ano2020
Volume68
Fascículo2
Páginas293-310
Data de publicação2020-05-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPolitical Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0032321719841243
OpenAlexW2937781057
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas9
Referências citadas35

Political finance scholars have paid little attention to the partisan preferences of business donors. This was because business donors were overwhelmingly concerned with the left-right dimension and enjoyed stable relationships with centre-right parties. These parties are increasingly tempted by economic nationalism. This new ideological flux provides an opportunity to measure the extent to which donors are party identifiers or react to changes in the policy space. Dramatic shifts in party policy on both the left-right and globalisation dimensions and a relatively transparent political finance regime make the United Kingdom a particularly apposite case to study this question. I analyse 19,000 donations to the Conservative Party and show that business donors reacted strongly to recent shifts on both the left-right and globalisation dimensions. Thus, centre-right parties may not be able to rely on party identification and their left-right position to maintain business funding. Economic nationalism is likely to cost centre-right parties money

Dimension (graph theory · Economics · Globalization · Ideology · Left and right · Market economy · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Position (finance · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Finance · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Social Policy and Reform Studies