Donations to Candidates at Election Time: A Hidden Source of Mass Party Funding?

Donations to Candidates at Election Time: A Hidden Source of Mass Party Funding?

That is the title of a new piece of research out from academic Chris Butler and myself, looking at how people can donate directly to election candidates and so avoid much of the scrutiny that should apply to donors: The UK generally has a relatively transparent political finance regime, with donations to political parties being published quarterly, and more regularly during general election periods. However, we identify a notable lack of transp…