Topic Guide: Political Finance

Political Finance Oversight Handbook. Ohman, M., 2013. IFES. www.ifes.org/Content/Publicati...  

IFES’ Training in Detection and Enforcement (TIDE) program addresses the needs of political finance enforcers through comparative analysis of detection and enforcement strategies around the world. IFES’ Political Finance Oversight Handbook is the core of the TIDE programme. This handbook is the product of extensive research and fieldwork by leading political finance experts and practitioners. It represents a comprehensive effort to consolidate the experience and knowledge currently available. This publication has been revised from a version originally published in 2005, taken into account changing circumstances and lessons learned. An additional section has been included on how to counteract the abuse of state (administrative) resources.  

Guidelines on Political Party Regulation. European Commission for Democracy Through Law, 2010. www.venice.coe.int/webforms/do...  

These guidelines were prepared by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and were adopted by the European Commission for Democracy through Law in 2010. The aim of the document is to provide an overview of a wide range of issues regarding the development and adoption of legislation for political parties in democracies. The document has two specific sections, chapter seven on funding political parties and chapter eight on monitoring political parties that relate to political financing. While there are many guidelines relating to funding political parties, there is a strong emphasis throughout the chapter that regulations on public funding should be clearly publicised and should be transparent so that parties are on equal footing with each other. In relation to monitoring political parties, the authors signal that neutrality and impartiality are key principles monitoring bodies should adhere to.   

Corruption and Legislatures. Pelizzo, R. and Stapenhurst, F., 2014. New York, Routledge. www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415730105/  

This book investigates parliaments’ role in curbing corruption. In addition to discussing the definition, causes, and costs of corruption and the role that parliaments have in reducing corruption, the authors consider contemporary issues that parliamentarians – and others – need to be aware of. The book includes a chapter on political finance where the author analyse electoral laws, campaign financing, and party political financing, considering how legislatures can reduce corruption in these areas.