Print

xiv Preface the current research and advocates say about the subject. The encyclopedia itself does not take a position on the subject of whether money is good or bad for Ameri- can politics instead it provides readers with a collection of entries that review the current state of the literature and knowledge about the topic, and it also surveys some of the main lines of debate regarding money in American politics. This ency- clopedia is a first of its kind, tackling an enormous and controversial topic with overwhelming amounts of research and analysis. In producing Money in American Politics, several parameters were placed on the project. The first is that it focus primarily on recent or contemporary research and debate on the topic. While this volume does include some discussion of famous instances in history where money appeared to be an important factor in terms of how it affected American politics, the real focus is on its role since World War II— and even more specifically, since the 1970s. It was with the 1972 reelection cam- paign of President Richard Nixon that most of the concern with the role of money in politics commenced. It was the Watergate break-in, the legislation adopted afterward, and the court litigation that ensued that have defined the contempo- rary landscape when it comes to money in American politics. This landscape is occupied primarily by three main fields of research: political science, public policy and administration, and law. The political science literature has researched the role of money in politics in terms of voting and campaigns and elections. The public policy field has researched money’s role in terms of lobbying, legislating, and administrative regulation. Finally, the legal field has examined litigation, court decisions, and how the courts—especially the Supreme Court—have defined and structured the debate and legal landscape when it comes to the regulation of the role of money in American politics. No one book or encyclopedia can exhaustively cover all the literature, issues, court cases, and points of debate when it comes to understanding money in Ameri- can politics. Yet the hope here is that the reader will be able to use Money in Ameri- can Politics: An Encyclopedia as a reference that will provide information and some insights into what role money does actually play in U.S. politics, as well as the foundations of the major debates surrounding its use.