Date of Graduation
5-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Political Science
Advisor/Mentor
Sebold, Karen
Committee Member/Reader
Dowdle, Andrew
Committee Member/Second Reader
Shields, Christopher
Committee Member/Third Reader
Baranello, Micaela
Abstract
The growing prominence of Political Action Committees (PACs) calls for the analysis of their impact on state legislatures and the passing of bills. This thesis sought to determine the relationship between PACs and the state legislatures of New York and Illinois as it relates to the passage of statutes that legalized recreational marijuana. This was done by collecting contribution disclosures from the individuals who voted on the bills and finding the aggregate amounts given to a candidate by in-state and out-of-state PACs and non-PACs. Then the data was subjected to a Pearson Correlation analysis. If the Pearson Correlation indicated a certain kind of contributor was significant then it underwent a simple regression analysis. Accurately illustrating the relationship between PAC contributions and policy outcomes allows the furtherance of our understanding of how money as speech can impact American society.
Keywords
Campaign Finance, Citizens United, PACs
Citation
Elliott, L. (2023). Legislative Passage of Marijuana and PAC Contributions: An Analysis of Illinois and New York Political Donations. Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/plscuht/23
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