Welfare for Politicians? Taxpayer Financing of Political Campaigns

Public concern about corruption is a hallmark of American politics. Critics regularly decry the influence of "special interests," who are said to buy legislatures and elections with "big money." Others call for taxpayer financing of political campaigns as a way to exclude private interests from politics. Almost half the states have some form of public funding for campaigns, and taxpayers continue to subsidize presidential campaigns. How has public funding worked? Has it protected the integrity of the political process or simply provided "welfare for politicians" unable or unwilling to raise campaign funds voluntarily? This volume examines taxpayer financing of campaigns from various perspectives. Book jacket.

John Samples is director of the Center for Representative Government at the Cato Institute. He is also a fellow for the study of American government at Johns Hopkins University