Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/304419 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
WWZ Working Paper No. 2024/08
Publisher: 
University of Basel, Center of Business and Economics (WWZ), Basel
Abstract: 
This paper examines the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which lifted bans on independent expenditures by corporations and unions. Using a difference-in-differences design, the study compares states with and without pre-existing bans, focusing on gubernatorial elections. The results show an 11 percentage point increase in the share of Republican TV ad airings following the removal of independent expenditure bans. This increase is especially pronounced (16 percentage points) in states where only corporate bans were lifted, with total TV ad airtime rising by over 29 hours on average. Negative campaigning also intensified, with a 5.5 percentage point rise in the share of attack ads. Survey and election data show a significant demobilization effect, particularly in states where only corporate bans were removed (3.5-5 percentage point decrease in county-level turnout). Finally, Republican gubernatorial candidates experienced a 7-11 percentage point boost in vote shares following the removal of independent spending bans.
Subjects: 
campaign finance
Citizens United v. FEC
independent expenditures
voter turnout
television markets
special interest groups
corporate money in politics
JEL: 
D72
K16
L82
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.