This study investigates why corporations donate to legislative campaigns despite seemingly gaining nothing from roll-call votes.
Key Argument:
Corporate donors strategically shape policy by influencing agenda-setters early in lawmaking, particularly committee and party leaders.
Data & Methods:
New dataset: 45,000+ individual state legislator sessions (1988-2012).
Using a difference-in-differences design to measure the value of access through campaign contributions.
Findings:
- Industries systematically target specific agenda-setters who regulate them and possess procedural power.
- The perceived value of agenda-setter positions has significantly increased in recent years.
- Changes in state contribution limits disproportionately benefit committee chairs and party leaders, suggesting they strategically obstruct such reforms.
This research underscores the strategic role of access politics in policy outcomes.
