Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations
The price of transparency: do campaign finance disclosure laws discourage political participation by citizens’ groups?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2011
Abstract
We surveyed independent citizens’ groups who advertised in either of the Canadian federal elections of 2004 and 2006 to see whether financial reporting laws act as barriers to entry in politics. The most conservative estimates suggest that conforming imposes administrative costs of no more than 9% of group budgets. These small reporting costs and our finding that 61% of respondents believed reporting requirements discouraged independent groups from participating in elections suggest that there may be intangible but substantial costs to disclosure. Our survey indicates these costs arise from the fear of prosecution by authorities for alleged violations of reporting requirements.
Recommended Citation
Couture Gagnon, A., Palda, F. The price of transparency: do campaign finance disclosure laws discourage political participation by citizens’ groups?. Public Choice 146, 353–374 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-010-9594-9
Publication Title
Public Choice
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-010-9594-9
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