Lobbing oddolny jako forma obywatelskiego uczestnictwa w procesie politycznym. Przykład amerykański
Financing of Electoral Campaigns in the United States – regulations, consequences, political aspects

Summary/Abstract: Electoral campaigns have recently become very complex, extensive and, consequently, extremely expensive. This results in the fact that financing becomes a key problem in politics nowadays. This causes concerns about the role of money in politics, as every time money and politics meet, it creates the potential for improper influence of the affluent. There are various models of financing elections in different countries. In some, there is full public financing of elections, in others only partial, and in some, elections are financed only from private resources. There are also different models concerning the limits set on expenses that can be incurred during the election period by parties and candidates. In some cases there are very strict and low limits whereas in other countries there are no limits at all. This variety shows that there is no universal recipe. The aim of this article is to analyze the issues connected with the financing of elections in the United States, the country that is claimed to be one of the most visible examples of democracy at work. In the article, the author traces the chronological development of the federal regulations affecting the electoral campaigns, and, in doing so, he tries to point out the factors accompanying the introduction of specific regulations and the ways in which different entities adjust to newly introduced laws. The analysis allows to discuss the key problems concerning the finances of the elections in the United States. The author considers political consequences of introducing specific regulations, namely who (political parties, interest groups, individuals) benefits and who loses, and how the system of democratic representation is affected. He also discusses the reasons why the election financing system in America has been shaped that way and emphasizes political and constitutional obstacles hindering the introduction of stricter regulations.

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