Politics Information

Influence of contributions on policy

August 7, 2007 on 7:59 pm | In Main | 1 Comment

The obvious assumption is that big money contributions have an affect on elected officials. However I don’t think it is as much of a problem as many would assume. Especially when it comes to mainstream issues. If this was true then the flow of money would be much different than it is reality. Simply following the money doesn’t support the corruption assumption. For example if the money had as much impact as many would have you believe then right to life groups would give huge amounts to pro choice candidates. If the money influence assumption was true the pro-choice candidate could easily be converted to a pro-life lawmaker. In fact the reality is that in most cases “special interest groups” more typically make large donations to candidates who already support their cause. This has the affect of influencing elections but not individuals positions. Money does influence “who” is elected but not typically how officials make decisions. Of course it does give added pressure on those elected to stick to the positions they expressed which prompted the donations. Money does indirectly affect policy by directly affecting election results.