Dissertation Project
My dissertation investigates the relationship between campaign finance and political polarization. The main portion of the project consists of three papers.
A Model of Candidate Ideology with Endogenous Fundraising
I begin by modeling the relationship between campaign finance regulations and candidate ideology. From this model I derive predictions regarding the connection between fundraising, contribution limits, and polarization.
A New Dynamic Measure of Legislator Ideology
I then create new dynamic ideal point estimates of over 40,000 state legislators in 50 states over 15 years.
Do Campaign Finance Regulations Affect Polarization?
Using these ideology measures, I empirically test the results of my model, showing that contribution limits affect political polarization.