
- Public monies are used to finance which campaigns full#
- Public monies are used to finance which campaigns professional#
If a country wants to have stable political parties and/or independent candidates, some argue that they also need to be prepared to help pay for them.
Public monies are used to finance which campaigns professional#
Political parties and candidates need money for their electoral campaigns, to keep contacts with their constituencies, to prepare policy decisions and to pay professional staff.
Public funding is a natural and necessary cost of democracy. Convincing enough as the arguments above might seem, there are also several good arguments for public funding. If all or a substantial amount of the party income comes directly from the State rather than from voluntary sources, political parties risk losing their independence and become organs of the State, thereby losing their ties to the civil society.Ī majority of the countries in the world give some form of public funds to political parties and/or candidates. Political parties risk becoming organs of the State rather than parts of civil society. This means that the political parties and candidates who will collect the money, also take the decision. The decision to allocate public funds to parties and candidates is most often taken in the national legislature (or in some cases in the Government). Political parties and candidates both take the decision and collect the money. To many people, using public funds to give to political parties and candidates would be far down their list of priorities. Public resources are scarce and needed for everything from schools and hospitals to roads and salaries for staff. When introduced, public funding is often unpopular among the public. Public funds to political parties and candidates takes money away from schools and hospitals to give to rich politicians. Instead they should have the possibility to decide if and when they want to donate money to a political party or candidate. Many believe that ordinary taxpayers should not be forced – through the public purse – to support political parties or candidates that they would never choose to vote for. Through public funds, taxpayers are forced to support political parties and candidates whose views they do not share. The legal framework can limit this negative influence by providing special funds for new political parties or candidates. This may make it more difficult for new political forces to gain representation. Public funds are often allocated among political parties and candidates in the national legislature. Public funding preserves a status quo that keeps the established parties and candidates in power. When political parties and candidates do not depend on their supporters or members neither for monetary contributions (membership, donations) nor for voluntary labour, they might be less likely to involve them in party decisions or consult their opinions on policy issues. Public funding increases the distance between political elites (party leadership, candidates) and ordinary citizens (party members, supporters, voters). Those who oppose public funds to political parties or candidates often use one or several of the following arguments: Indirect public funding is when resources with a monetary value is provided by the Government to political parties and/or candidates. ĭepending on the form in which public resources are made available, public funding is divided into direct public funding or indirect public funding.ĭirect public funding is given to political parties and/or candidates in the form of money – usually as bank transfers but at times in cash or cheque. Public monies are used to finance which campaigns full#
Ongoing oversight from a responsible government body combined with public (civil society) oversight through CSO watchdog capacity also can improve the monitoring and full disclosure of funding across party lines and in lines and consistent with the intent of full disclosure and fairness in campaign financing. The legal framework can be drafted in a way as to encourage the founding and sustainability of a multi-party system. Oftentimes, the rules regarding public funding are not clearly stated in law, and even if they are, there is often a (real or perceived) misuse of public resources by the incumbent party or candidate. Provisions often state that political parties and candidates should have an equitable access to public funds. Public funding are funds or resources provided by the State/Government for political parties and/or candidates.