Barber2016_Donation Motivation-Testing Theories of Access and Ideology

Article Overview

  • Title: Donation Motivations: Testing Theories of Access and Ideology

  • Author: Michael Barber

  • Source: Political Research Quarterly, MARCH 2016, Vol. 69, No. 1, pp. 148-159

  • Published by: Sage Publications on behalf of the University of Utah

  • Stable URL: JSTOR

Introduction

  • Importance of understanding donor motivations in political contributions.

  • The paper tests theories of why PACs and individuals contribute to candidates, and identifies differences in contribution patterns.

  • Discussion about the relationship between contributions, candidate ideology, and expectations from donors.

  • Highlights the evolving landscape of campaign finance and ideological polarization.

Theoretical Background

Donor Motivations

  • Different motivations exist among groups; individuals vs. PACs.

  • Contribution patterns depend on factors like ideology, access, and legislative influence.

  • Previous studies predominantly focused on narrow subsets of donors.

PAC Motivations

  • PACs aim to influence legislators and secure favorable legislation rather than buying votes directly.

  • Access theory: Contributions are meant to ensure lawmakers consider their interests in policy-making.

  • Empirical evidence demonstrates that PAC contributions are influenced by factors like incumbency and committee assignment.

Individual Motivations

  • Individual donors are motivated by ideological alignment rather than a desire to develop long-term relationships with candidates.

  • Donors participate because they enjoy politics and support candidates aligned with their ideological preferences.

  • Surveys indicate ideological alignment is a major factor in individual contributions, particularly among extreme ideologues.

Data and Methodology

  • Utilizes comprehensive data on contributions from various sources spanning state and federal elections from 1980 to 2012.

  • An original survey of individual donors in the 2012 election cycle provides insights on motivations.

  • Analysis employs within-legislator models to isolate incumbency effects independently.

Empirical Findings

Contribution Patterns

  • PACs show a strong preference for incumbent legislators, while individuals are less affected by incumbency status.

  • Causal analysis indicates incumbency significantly increases PAC contributions, while it does not affect individual donor contributions.

  • Ideological considerations show that extreme donors prioritize ideological alignment.

Survey Results

  • Approximately 90% of individual donors cite recipient ideology as important in their decision to contribute.

  • Factors influencing donations include the perceived ability to impact election outcomes and opposition ideology.

  • An revealed pattern shows that the more ideologically extreme donors prioritize ideological considerations more heavily than moderates.

Ideological Group Motivations

  • Ideological groups share characteristics of both PACs and individual donors; they value access but also ideological alignment.

  • Their contributions are influenced by both legislative access and political ideologies.

Conclusion

  • The research deepens understanding of varying donor motivations and the implications for legislative behavior.

  • Indicates a divergence in motivations between PACs, ideological groups, and individual contributors.

  • Highlights that ideological purity valued by individuals may lead to increasing partisan polarization.

Implications for Future Research

  • Further studies should explore the consequences of donation motivations on political outcomes and candidate behavior.

  • Investigate the types of access granted by legislators to PACs, alongside how financial contributions influence policy-making.