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Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns

Democracy is a system in which the government is controlled by the people,
and in which people are considered equals in the exercise of that control.
However, unequal access to political fi nance contributes to an uneven
political playing fi eld. Th e rapid growth of campaign expenditure in many
countries has exacerbated this problem. Th e huge amounts of money involved
in some election campaigns makes it impossible for those without access to
large private funds to compete on the same level as those who are well funded.
Th ere is no doubt that political parties need access to funds in order to play their
part in the political process. At the same time, the role of money in politics is
arguably the biggest threat to democracy worldwide today. Th is threat is clear
across all continents—from huge corporate campaign donations in the United
States and drug money seeping into politics in Latin America, to corruption
scandals throughout Asia and Europe. Evidence shows that large portions of
the electorate around the world are left with the perception that their politicians
are more concerned about money than about representing citizens’ interests.
Recognizing the many challenges of money in politics and the gap in
comparative knowledge, International IDEA has been focusing on the topic
for over a decade and has worked on a broad range of activities, including
stimulating national debates on legal reforms, building institutional capacity
and producing global comparative knowledge. Th is handbook builds on
the 2003 International IDEA handbook Funding of Political Parties and
Election Campaigns and is unique in its global scope. By off ering an overview
of political fi nance around the world, its aim is to advance the debate and
stimulate action to improve the role of money in politics.
Th ere are a myriad of problems related to money in politics: fi nancial scandals, the
abuse of public funds, drug cartels’ supply of illicit money to parties, and private
corporations funnelling vast sums to party fi gures in order to garner favours.
Women candidates in particular suff er disproportionately from lack of
access to campaign fi nance. In many countries, unfair allocation of public
funds distorts the playing fi eld in favour of ruling parties. Th is abuse of state
resources is particularly problematic in former Soviet countries and Africa.
It is common for money in politics to operate behind closed doors and involve
shadowy practices. Th e exact amounts and origins of donations to political
parties or candidates are often unknown. Th is creates a system that is open to
abuse by big business or organized crime, which contributes money in return
for infl uence. Donations seen as an investment by corporate interests have
been reported from virtually all regions, not least the older democracies of
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North America and Europe. Th e penetration of illicit funds into politics poses
a particular danger to democracy and its institutions on all continents. Th is
is especially so along the Latin American drug-traffi cking corridor stretching
from the Andean region to Mexico, where drugs money has infi ltrated
political life and elections.
In all regions of the world there is a deeply worrying trend of money in politics
drowning out the voices of ordinary citizens. For a democracy to be healthy,
it must revolve, fi rst and foremost, around the citizen. And for a democracy
to be sustainable, it requires transparent, accountable and inclusive political
parties that can channel the demands of the people and truly represent them.
Attempts to tackle these challenges through political fi nance laws and
regulations are often undermined by a lack of political will or capacity, as
well as poorly designed and enforced measures.
Th is handbook addresses these and other problems of money in politics by
analysing political fi nance regulations around the world and providing guidance
for reform. Th e chapters are divided by region; each assesses the current state of
regulations and challenges and off ers a series of recommendations to tackle the
identifi ed shortcomings. Th is geographical approach has the benefi t of revealing
regional trends and patterns, and off ers insights into what has (and has not)
worked in diff erent contexts. An additional chapter focuses on gender, refl ecting
the reality that women remain grossly under-represented in politics around
the world, while the increasing infl uence of money in politics perpetuates this
inequality. While context is a crucial component of any discussion on political
fi nance, some general recommendations and messages are identifi ed.
An important basis for this work has been International IDEA’s Database on
Political Finance3
which received a major revision and update in 2012. We hope
that this database, which has become the leading and most exhaustive source on
political fi nance regulation worldwide, will, together with this handbook, provide
tools that will be useful to those actors and stakeholders in a position to undertake
reforms that will address the numerous challenges of money in politics.

Ketersediaan
B00651B-Politik & Pemerintahan FU ELTersedia
Informasi Detail
Judul Seri
-
No. Panggil
B-Politik & Pemerintahan FU EL
Penerbit
Sweden : International IDEA.,
Deskripsi Fisik
-
Bahasa
English
ISBN/ISSN
978-91-87729-24-9
Klasifikasi
B-Politik & Pemerintahan
Tipe Isi
text
Tipe Media
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Tipe Pembawa
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Edisi
Cetakan 1
Subjek
Buku Politik & Pemerintahan
Info Detail Spesifik
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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab
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