Money in Politics
Money can have a negative influence on politics and present a challenge to foreign aid. Find out how to reduce political funding’s adverse impact on developing countries.
Money is vital for modern democracies. Without it, citizens would not have the means to convey ideas nor compete for political power through electoral processes. However, money can distort the democratic ideals of fair competition through unbalanced access to resources to some individuals or political groups, upsetting one of the cornerstones of democracy – the concept of ‘one person one vote’.
Explore this Theme Page to, among other things:
Monitoring money in politics
U4 recently attended a UNDP event that brought together Supreme Audit Institutions from different countries in the Balkans to discuss their role in monitoring money financing political parties and electoral campaigns. The negative influence of money in these processes, compounded with a necessity for resources to allow information to reach out to voters, is a problem to be addressed. To learn more about different actors and their roles in monitoring how money influences political processes, take a look at this U4 brief: Political finance: State control and civil society monitoring.