What Does Research Say About Public Funding for Political Campaigns?

August 1, 2010   •  By IFS staff   •    •  

In this research brief, CCP Academic Advisor David M. Primo, an Associate Professor of Political Science and Business Administration at the University of Rochester, answers five questions related to taxpayer-funded campaigns. Proponents of taxpayer financed campaigns often argue, among other things, that these programs enable greater political speech, promote public sentiment about government, boost voter participation and electoral competitiveness, and diminish both corruption and “special interest” influence. Primo succinctly takes each one of these charges and provides an overview of existing research on the topic to assess the validity of the “reformers'” claims. Predictably, in regards to each of the five claims, the research is either inconclusive on the subject or the opposite of what tax financing proponents claim is true.

IFS staff

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