This policy practicum will engage students to perform research on a number of topics related to the financing of election campaigns, with a particular eye on developments that have taken place in the 2016 election. The client is a national campaign finance task force led by former White House Counsel Robert Bauer and former Romney and Bush campaign Counsel Ben Ginsberg. Research areas would include: How has the financing of campaigns changed following Citizens United? How have candidates, parties and groups altered spending to account for the rise of the internet as a medium of political communication? Have developments in outside spending affected the power of political parties? How has primary campaign spending changed as a result of rising political polarization?
This policy practicum will not meet regularly; each student will meet periodically with Professor Persily to determine a research topic and a strategy for developing a paper to be handed in by the end of the term.
Faculty
Client & Deliverable
- Client: Presidential Commission on Election Administration
- Deliverable: Research memos