PSCI 217(S) Money and Politics

The Constitution of the United States was adopted, in part, to protect the holdings of property owners and to insulate government from the excessive demands of a self-interested majority. James Madison argued that the American republic would facilitate the public interest by providing a large and diverse set of competing interests which could be set against each other in competition for influence, each serving to check the others from accumulating too much power. Today, some question whether the aspirations for political equality underpinning the Madisonian framework have been overwhelmed by economic inequality, part cause and part consequence of the property-based notions of freedom embodied in the Constitution, and in subsequent interpretations by the United States Supreme Court. This course probes the role of money and politics in several ways. We look at the power of money in modern campaigns, especially the spending of candidates and political action committees (PACs) in a rapidly evolving (perhaps even disintegrating) legal environment. We also examine the power of money in Washington, as organized interest groups proliferate. Finally, we move beyond the electoral arena to explore larger issues in American political economy including income and wealth inequality and America's cultural attitudes about wealth and politics. Requirements: class participation, two papers and a take-home final. No prerequisites. Open to first-year students with advanced placement in American politics. American Politics Subfield

Hour: G. RICHARDSON