ABOUT THIS BOOK

Reformers argue that public financing of campaigns will help rescue American democracy from the corruptive influence of money in elections. Public Financing in American Elections evaluates this claim and aims to remove much of the guesswork from the discussion about public finance.

Featuring some of the most senior scholars in political science and electoral studies, this book provides an up-to-date treatment of campaign finance research and thinking about public campaign financing reforms. Exploring proposals at the local, state, and federal levels, the contributors provide a comprehensive overview of public financing initiatives in the United States and discuss their impact. Focused analyses of several current public programs are also presented.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Costas Panagopoulos is Assistant Professor of Political Science and is Director of the Center for Electoral Politics and Democracy at Fordham University.

REVIEWS

“This collection makes a valuable contribution to the debate over public financing of elections in the United States. It covers changes in the presidential public financing system but also reviews state and municipal public financing systems along with the prospects for public funding of congressional campaigns and public opinion on the topic. Few books investigate this range of public financing systems and their effects on politics.”
—John Green, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction • Costas Panagopoulos

Part I: The Lay of the Land: Public Financing in the American States

1. Back to the Future? The Quest for Public Financing of Congressional Campaigns • R. Sam Garrett

2. Small Donors, Large Donors, and the Internet: Rethinking Public Financing for Presidential Elections after Obama • Michael Malbin

3. Public Financing in the States and Municipalitie • Robert M. Stern

4. Public Attitudes toward Publicly Financed Elections, 1972–2008 • Stephen R. Weissman and Ruth A. Hassan (with assistance from Jack Santucci)

Part II: The Consequences of Public Financing

5. Campaign Finance Reform Reconsidered: New York City’s Public Finance Program at Twenty • Jeffrey Kraus

6. Leveling the Playing Field: Publicly Financed Campaigns and Electoral Competitio • Costas Panagopoulos

7. Public Financing and Candidate Participation in Gubernatorial Elections • Conor Dowling

8. Public Money, Candidate Time, and Electoral Outcomes in State Legislative Elections • Michael G. Miller

9. Does Public Financing of State Election Campaigns Increase Voter Turnout? • Jeffrey Milyo, David M. Primo, and Matthew L. Jacobsmeier

10. Public Financing, Attitudes toward Government and Politics, and Efficacy• Michael G. Miller and Costas Panagopoulos

Conclusion: The Future of Public Financing in American Elections • Costas Panagopoulos

Contributors

Index

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