Research and Awareness Building in Political Finance

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) grounds its programs in research conducted at a national, regional and global level, and examines the interconnectedness of political finance and other electoral issues, such as electoral violence, electoral integrity and the political participation of women. IFES also conducts public opinion research to gauge national attitudes on issues such as political finance reform, the use of campaign funds, funding for campaigns and reporting of campaign expenditures and the prevalence of vote buying. Examples of this include:

• Conducting a public opinion survey in the Maldives to measure both facts and opinions of Maldivian voters about vote buying, campaign finance and elections.
• Research and publication of “Financing Politics: The Middle East and North Africa” to help identify important regional political finance issues.
• Conducting interviews and convening working groups in Tunisia and Yemen to further understand the dynamics of women and money in election campaigns, findings of which are included in IFES’ white paper “Political Finance and Gender Equality.”
• Examining the challenges faced by political finance regulation in post-conflict societies as well as the potential interconnectedness between money and electoral violence through case studies.

In addition to qualitative and quantitative research, IFES also works to increase public awareness and understanding of political finance regulation both in the countries we work in and on a global level.

Examples of this include:

• Developing a public service announcement in Ukraine to explain the objectives of political finance reform; good practices and international standards in regulating the role of money in politics; and steps needed to ensure the effective implementation of reform, and 
• Leading a panel discussion at a global “Money in Politics” conference about the important role constructive dialogue between government institutions, political parties, candidates, civil society groups and media plays in increasing overall compliance with political finance regulations.

To read more articles related to Research and Awareness Building in Political Finance, click on the links below:

• Video: The Importance of Political Finance Reform in Ukraine 
• Association of World Election Bodies Holds Annual General Assembly 
• Encouraging Stakeholder Consultation in Political Finance Regulation 
• Money and Elections in the Maldives 
• Political Finance and Gender Equality 
• Leveling the Playing Field for Yemeni Women: A Q&A with Safia Al-Sayaghi 
• Financing Politics: The Middle East and North Africa 
• Political Finance in Post-Conflict Societies 
• IFES Political Finance Survey Report – December 2008 
• Public Funding Solutions for Political Parties in Muslim-Majority Societies