Campaign and Party Finance in North America and Western Europe

Like some others who have written on the subject of campaign and party finance, I believe that information about policies and practices regarding public financing abroad can help Americans develop their own ideas about reform possibilities. This book should encourage readers to become more attentive to alternatives to American practices and to think about changes that would be both desirable and feasible. In reading about political finance in other countries, however, it is important to realize that this term takes on different meanings in different countries. In North America it really means campaign and candidate finance, while in Europe it is more likely to mean party finance. This is a reflection both of the stronger political parties in Europe and the candidate orientation of American politics. These differences must not be ignored when one ponders the possibilities of transferring ideas and practices from one country to another.