The impact of money on politics—whether through campaign finance, lobbying, or
independent expenditure—raises key normative questions about democratic representation …

Scholars, pundits, and political reformers have long worried that corporations distort public
policy and subvert the will of the electorate by donating to politicians. Well-publicized …

The central puzzle of persuasion is why a receiver would listen to a sender who they know is
trying to change their beliefs or behavior. This article summarizes five approaches to solving …

Special interest groups (SIGs) have multiple channels of influence: contributing to decision-
makers or providing them with information (henceforth, inside lobbying) and grassroots …

Lobbyists often target legislators who are aligned with them rather than opponents. The
choice of whom to lobby affects both what information becomes available to legislators and …

We highlight how the political and institutional environment in which lobbying takes place
determines the organization of the lobbying industry and the probability of receiving limited …

We provide a model of dark money in elections. An ideologically extreme donor with private
information about candidate ideology and quality can advertise on behalf of a candidate …

Abstract The United States Supreme Court 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal
Election Commission led to a major deregulation of election campaign finance law. A new …

Some agencies derive legitimacy from their political independence: for example, political
meddling in monetary policy is problematic, as politicians favor short-term electoral goals …

The inflow of special interest money into politics and its influence on policies are well-
documented. Less well-understood is why different policymakers attract different amounts of …