Money and Electoral Politics: Local Parties and Funding at General Elections

In Money and Electoral Politics, Ron Johnston and Charles Pattie draw on the latest research—including much unpublished material—to explore the financial differences between the United Kingdom’s three main political parties in the four years leading up to the 2010 General Election. They look at how much local party branches raised and at the profound influence financing had on candidate performance. They show that fundraising at local levels often fell significantly short, suggesting a major problem with state of grassroots organizing—the capacity to effectively engage voters is confined to a relatively small number of constituencies. The result is an important contribution to the continuing debates on campaign finance, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.