Since the legalization of corporate political action committees in 1975, campaign finance has experienced a dramatic transformation. According to a recent study, corporations now sponsor 40% of all political action committees and account for an equal percentage of campaign contributions on the federal level (Hart 2001, 1230). What do these organized interests hope to get in return for the money they contribute? While it is difficult to determine causation within the world of national politics, there are many ways we can explore the way business interests truly work. Research finds that popular opinion on the influence of special interests is greatly exaggerated.
While we know how the political action committees are supposed to operate, their effectiveness is often milder than anticipated. National legislators must take note of this if they wish to enact any meaningful campaign finance reform.