Article Abstract:
The importance of legislation to trade unions has made the political arena an important one for unions since their inception. Fund raising by unions, which is an important aspect of their political activity, is examined, primarily in terms of the source and characteristics of campaign contributions from political action committees (PACs) associated with unions and with corporations. The investigation is based on supply-and-demand functions, with the results showing that the demand for funds varies with the closeness of the campaign, the incumbent's time in office, and the ideology of the candidates. It is further shown that candidates with whom contributors are ideologically aligned, those expected to win, and those with a large power base are supported more willingly.
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Article Abstract:
Through a study of the actions of political action committees (PACs) from 1978-1982, the impact of these political organizations on the campaign contributions of large corporations and labor unions can be evaluated. The econometric results indicate that definite legislative assets represent different degrees of importance to different special interest groups. A model is developed to test and predict corporate and union contributions to House incumbents. The model relates contributions to the value of committee assignments, voting records, and electoral safety, although union PAC actions are also influenced by political affiliation and tenure.
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Article Abstract:
Unions are shown to have a sophisticated understanding of the political process, and to allocate their political resources based on this understanding. Two different tests of this hypothesis are presented. First, using a chi-square test, we show union contributions go disproportionately to members of committees with legislative and regulatory jurisdiction over their activities. Second, using logistic regression analysis, we demonstrate that this result is robust with respect to the inclusion of other institutional variables such as seniority, voting record, party, and electoral competitiveness. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
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