Donation Motivations
Testing Theories of Access and Ideology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6340699 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Barber (0000-0002-1576-2839, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 148-159 |
| Publication date | 2016-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Research Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1065-9129 • E-ISSN: 1938-274X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1065912915624164 |
| OpenAlex | W2345710378 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 75 |
| References cited | 57 |
Understanding why donors give money to legislative candidates is vital for assessing how money influences politics. In this paper, I test theories of why political action committees (PACs) and individuals, the two largest sources of campaign money, contribute to legislative candidates. Using a variety of data at the state and federal level, I show dramatic differences between individual and PAC contribution patterns. An original survey of donors in the 2012 election cycle shows that individuals consistently rank ideological concerns as highly important when deciding where to give. Finally, using two different within-legislator designs, I show a causal relationship between incumbency, ideology, and contributions. These results provide the most direct and comprehensive test of contributor motivations to date.1
Action (physics · Donation · Ideology · Legislation · Legislator · Legislature · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Rank (graph theory · State (computer science · Test (biology · Variety (cybernetics · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Psychology · Public Administration · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
The Multipath Money Trail
The Value of a Like
Tying loose ends
Out of Step and Still in Congress? Electoral Consequences of Incumbent and Challenger Positioning Across Time
Lifeblood of the Party
For Reputation's Sake
Financing minor parties and independents
Monetizing Prosecutorial Discretion
Mobilizing Sophisticated Donors
The impact of associational ties on the financing of super PACs
Echo chamber? Lobbying at the failed Chilean constitutional convention
Walk this way, talk this way
How interest groups discern serious legislation from position-taking
Small Donor Contributions in Response to Email Outreach by a Political Campaign
Who Gives to American Trade and Professional Association Political Action Committees and Why
Investment Without Return? Individual Out-of-State Contributions to US Direct Democracy Campaigns
Revealing the Scope of the Small Donor Revolution
Les entreprises en campagne
Strategic donors and institutional constraints
The surge of the small donorate in U.S. elections
Which Side Are the Faculty on
Interest Groups and Intra‐Party Conflict on Scored Votes
Are campaign contributions perceived as a civic duty
Policies, profits, networks, or duty? Donors’ motivations for contributing to parties and interest groups
The Contemporary Presidency
Election campaign financing in Botswana
Polarized Patriots
Persuasive lobbying and the value of connections
Candidate Positions, Responsiveness, and Returns to Extremism
Dark Money and Politician Learning
Do Donors Punish Extremist Primary Nominees? Evidence from Congress and American State Legislatures
The Economic Consequences of Political Donation Limits
Political Giving by Retired U.S. General and Flag Officers
Out-Of-State Donors and Legislative Surrogacy in the U.S. Senate
Giving to the Extreme? Experimental Evidence on Donor Response to Candidate and District Characteristics
Can Stakeholders Mobilize Businesses for the Protection of Democracy? Evidence from the U.S. Capitol Insurrection
Fundraising Events and Non-Ideological Donation Motivations
Moderation or Strategy? Political Giving by Corporations and Trade Groups
Comparing Campaign Finance and Vote-Based Measures of Ideology
Quid Pro Quo? Corporate Returns to Campaign Contributions
Industry Politicization and Interest Group Campaign Contribution Strategies
Subverting Administrative Oversight
Why Aren't There More Republican Women in Congress? Gender, Partisanship, and Fundraising Support in the 2010 and 2012 Elections
Are LGBTQ+ Candidates Disadvantaged in Financing Their Campaigns? Evidence from Canadian Federal Elections, 2015–21
Do campaign contributions buy favorable policies? Evidence from the insurance industry
Everything in moderation? The effect of extremist nominations on individual and corporate PAC fundraising
How Voters Punish and Donors Protect Legislators Embroiled in Scandal
Which Women Can Run? Gender, Partisanship, and Candidate Donor Networks
Detecting and Understanding Donor Strategies in Midterm Elections
Either with Us or Against Us
From Ads to Action
The Partisan and Policy Motivations of Political Donors Seeking Surrogate Representation in House Elections
Party crashers
Interest Group Activists and the Polarization of State Legislatures
No Experience Required
Motivations for political donations in Aotearoa New Zealand
Foreign Direct Investment in Political Influence
Dark money and opaque politics
How Do Interest Groups Seek Access to Committees
Helping Friends or Influencing Foes
Do Campaign Contribution Limits Curb the Influence of Money in Politics
The Partisan Realignment of American Business
Early Money and Strategic Candidate Exit
How Do Electoral Outcomes Affect Campaign Contributions? The Role of Personal Loyalty and Investment Motives
Out-of-State Contributions Provide Non-Incumbent House Candidates with a Competitive Edge
Who Donates to Party Switchers
Delayed Gratification in Political Participation
The effects of personal campaign financing on party defection
To moderate, or not to moderate
Dark Parties
The Effect of Political Donation on Election Outcomes
Plutopopulism
How the Workplace Affects Employee Political Contributions
Impactos limitados do financiamento público sobre a redução da desigualdade em campanhas eleitorais
Not Putting Their Money Where Their Mouth Is
Spatial Models of Parliamentary Voting
The Financiers of Congressional Elections
Serious Money
Party Polarization in Congress
The Influence of Campaign Contributions in State Legislatures
Campaign Finance and Political Polarization
Corporate PAC Campaign Contributions in Perspective
Long-Term Investing in Politicians; Or, Give Early, Give Often
Regression discontinuity designs
Polarized America
The Disappearing Center
Political Giving
Affluence and Influence
Why is There so Little Money in U.S. Politics
The Internet and American Political Campaigns
Individual campaign contributions and candidate ideology
The allocation of political monies
Changing minds? Not in Congress
Beyond the Median
Voice and Equality
Dynamic Ideal Point Estimation via Markov Chain Monte Carlo for the U.S. Supreme Court, 1953–1999
Arms Control and Strategic Arms Voting in the U.S. Senate
How Much Is Majority Status in the U.S. Congress Worth
Candidate Valence and Ideological Positions in U.S. House Elections
Corporate and Labor PAC Contributions in House Elections
Congressmen in Exile
Comparing Interest Group PAC Contributions to House and Senate Incumbents, 1980-1986
Consumption or Investment? On Motivations for Political Giving
The Political Geography of Campaign Contributions in American Politics
The Financial Incumbency Advantage
The Relationship Between Political Parties and Interest Groups
Campaign Targets and Messages in Direct Mail Fundraising
Does Money Buy Votes? The Case of Self-Financed Gubernatorial Candidates, 1998–2008
The Political Ecology of Opinion in Big-Donor Neighborhoods
Congressional Party Defection in American History
Comparable Preference Estimates across Time and Institutions for the Court, Congress, and Presidency
Salvation for the Spendthrift Incumbent
Prospecting for (Campaign) Gold
The Check Is in the Mail
Modes of Elite Political Participation
Ideology and Interests in the Political Marketplace
PACs and the Congressional Supermarket
Individual Contributions
Electoral Competition with Informed and Uninformed Voters
Buying Supermajorities
Buying Time
The Effects of Campaign Spending in Congressional Elections
The Ideological Mapping of American Legislatures
The Statistical Analysis of Roll Call Data
PACs, Contributions, and Roll Calls
Interlocking Directorates and Political Cohesion among Corporate Elites
| Unique citing works | 75 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7,5 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 75 |