Money, Politics, and Democracy

by Young, Lisa; Jansen, Harold J.

• ISBN13: 9780774818926
• ISBN10: 0774818921
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-07-25
• Publisher: Univ of British Columbia Pr

Summary

In 2004, Jean Chrétien's Liberals banned corporations and unions from funding political parties. In 2008, opposition leaders were prepared to defeat the Conservative government over its proposal to eliminate public subsidies to political parties. In Money, Politics, and Democracy, Lisa Young and Harold Jansen lead a distinguished group of political scientists in exploring the issues that led to the dramatic showdown. Are publicly funded parties compatible with the basic tenets of democracy? What effect have party finance reforms had on the balance of power between parties and donors, on the relationship between national parties and local organizations, on electoral competition? This timely volume reveals that the financial centre of gravity for political parties is shifting between national and local organizations as individual donors replace unions and corporations. To ensure their financial survival, parties must now maximize their numbers of seats and votes. The first comprehensive study of modern campaign finance reforms in Canada, Money, Politics, and Democracy suggests that campaign finance reforms have shaped party organization and electoral competition, contributing to successive minority governments.

Author Biography

Lisa Young is a professor of political science at the University of Calgary. Harold J. Jansen is an associate professor of political science at the University of Lethbridge.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Reforming Party and Election Finance in Canada	p. 1
State Funding of Political Parties: Truths, Myths, and Legends	p. 19
Public Funding of Political Parties: The Case for Further Reform	p. 37
Finance Reform and the Cartel Party Model in Canada	p. 60
Cartels, Syndicates, and Coalitions: Canada's Political Parties after the 2004 Reforms	p. 82
The Impact of Election Finance Reforms on Local Party Organization	p. 104
The Quarterly Allowance and Turnout: Old and New Evidence	p. 130
Financing Party Leadership Campaigns	p. 145
Lessons from the American Campaign Finance Reform Experience	p. 173
Conclusion	p. 198
Contributors	p. 206
Index	p. 208
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