A Social Network Analysis of Electoral Campaign Finance in the United States: Focusing on Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland in the 2000 US General Election

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study uses social network analysis to investigate the nature, basis, and strength of linkages among major political action committees for both Democratic and Republican parties in the United States. Using campaign finance data from the 2000 general election, and focusing on races in Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland, the paper measures the degree of interaction between PACs, identifies the most potent PACs in terms of network centrality and coreness, and identifies important differences between donor networks associated with each party, providing insights into party performance. Consistent with anecdotal evidence, the liberal networks associated with the Democratic Party held some of the most powerful political action committees (e.g. AFL-CIO, National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League), but were characterized by weaker relationships and greater divisiveness than the conservative networks. This likely represents the disparate social, economic, and political preferences of the members and candidates of this network. In contrast, the conservative networks associated with the Republican Party had both powerful PACs (e.g. National Right to Life, National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund) and extensive interrelationships among its groups. While the liberal movement is characterized by multiple, largely-disconnected clusters of PACs, the conservative movement is highly centralized, and apparently more effective at uniting disparate groups and coordinating its donors. Not surprisingly, inter-party networks and cooperation were scant. The next step in this research is to compare the 2000 general election to the 2004 and 2008 general elections, exploring whether unification occurred within the liberal movement prior to the 2008 general election, possibly accounting for Democrats’ victory in that election.

참고문헌 (Reference)

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