Comparative Political Finance in the 1980s

This book concerns the financing of politics, political parties, candidates and elections in eleven countries. It contains case studies of individual countries, various country-by-country comparisons, and a conceptual framework enabling the reader to understand the context of financial sources and implications of funding sources. All the chapters demonstrate the problems common to democracies seeking to regulate uses and abuses of money in politics in pluralistic societies in which there are numerous openings for political disbursements; many present themes emphasizing forms of public funding (alternatively called state aid in some countries) in which governments assist parties or candidates to subsist and compete. Professor Alexander has assembled a distinguished international team of contributors to present this first major appraisal of such a vital aspect of democratic practice for nearly twenty years.