Governance: Political finance

To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance provide a basis for collecting and publishing data on campaign and party finance?

Definitions

Definitions and Identification

This indicator examines frameworks that require political parties and political campaigns to disclose information about how they raise and spend money. Financial support may come from various sources, including donations, membership fees, and public funding.

This indicator is based on the presence and strength of legislation, regulations, or policies that govern whether:

• Party and campaign finance data is collected and maintained as structured, open data across the whole country.
• Financial disclosures contain structured data on income, spending, assets, *and *debts.
• Financial disclosures are *updated in a timely fashion; this includes both *regular updates and updates that are responsive to campaign-based schedules.
• Financial disclosures are published.
• A mandate is given to an independent agency or institution to examine financial reports and/or investigate violations.

Research Guidance

Starting points

• Sources:
  • The IDEA Political Finance Database provides information on bans, public spending, regulation, and oversight mechanisms, with sources listed beneath questions; this longstanding database covers more than 180 countries. It includes links for regulations that can also help you identify the country's relevant agency or agencies.
  • For countries in Eurasia, the EuroPAM database lists relevant laws and provides overviews of relevant bans, public spending, regulation, and oversight mechanisms; the database currently includes 34 countries.
  • The V-Dem Database, which covers 202 countries, includes a question, "Disclosure of campaign donations" (v2eldonate) that overlaps with part of this indicator; countries' answers can provide a useful starting point.
• Search:
  • For recent updates to party and campaign finance laws in the country.
  • The website(s) of the country's political finance agency or agencies for details of how they collect and manage data, and the basis of this in law or regulation; relevant agencies vary across countries, common ones include registrars of political donations and election commissions.
  • For examples of current forms used to register financial disclosures of parties and campaigns.
  • For political finance databases constructed by journalists or country-relevant NGOs that coordinate multiple streams of political finance data; among other information, these may contain details on known gaps in the country's laws or regulations.
• Consult:
  • Investigative journalists who focus on corruption and integrity issues in the country.
  • Local officials of civil society organizations focused on transparency and accountability in governance.
  • Elected officials, party staff members, or people who have recently worked on political campaigns.

What to look for?

Look for evidence that can answer the following questions:

• Is the framework for disclosure and verification of campaign and party finance data provided for in law, regulation, policy, or guidance?
• Does the framework provide unambiguous definitions of campaigning activities, or is there vagueness or notable inconsistencies about what constitutes a campaigning activity or third-party campaigning?
• Does the framework require publication of identifying information about donors, and if so does this include all donors or only some? Is information published as summary or in specific detail that links donors to their donations?
• What does the framework cover? Does it include not only assets and liabilities, but also income and spending details? Does it cover both financial contributions and in-kind and non-financial contributions?
• Does the framework empower an agency or official to ensure the accurate and timely collection and publication of required data? Does it require a verification process?
• Does the framework specify that information should be updated in a manner that is not only at regular intervals but is also timely and responsive to campaign activities?

National and sub-national considerations

In some countries, frameworks that govern political finance data may be established primarily by individual states, regions, or cities. To assess such countries, researchers should select the strongest example of sub-national practice, and then indicate whether this is an outlier or an example of widespread practice.

Question sub-components

Show/hide supporting questions

Existence

• Are there laws, policies, or regulations requiring collection or publication of this information in any form?

  • No.
  • They are being drafted, or are not yet implemented.

    Supporting questions: Please provide brief details.

  • They exist and are operational.

    Supporting questions: Please provide brief details.

• Do relevant laws, policies, regulations, or guidance discuss the publication of open data?

  • There is no mention of data or the publication of data in relevant laws, policies, or guidance.
  • Requirements to publish data are set out in non-binding policy or guidance.

    Supporting questions: Please provide a URL to the most relevant legislation, policy, or guidance.

  • Requirements to publish data are set out in binding policy, regulations, or law.

    Supporting questions: Please provide a URL to the most relevant legislation, policy, or guidance.

  • Requirements to publish this information as open data are set out in binding policy, regulations, or law.

    Supporting questions: Please provide a URL to the most relevant legislation, policy, or guidance.

Elements

• Provisions for definitions, kinds, and fields:

• The framework contains clear and unambiguous definitions of campaigning activities of parties, candidates, and third parties. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• The framework requires donors' identities be made public. (The framework does not require the disclosure, public or otherwise, of a donor's identity., The framework requires the public disclosure of the identity of any donor who contributes above a defined threshold., The framework requires the public disclosure of the identity of every donor.)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If The framework requires the public disclosure of the identity of any donor who contributes above a defined threshold.: What is the threshold?

  If The framework requires the public disclosure of the identity of any donor who contributes above a defined threshold. or The framework requires the public disclosure of the identity of every donor.: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• The framework requires collecting specific information on financial contributions. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• The framework requires collecting specific information on assets and liabilities. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• The framework requires collecting specific information on income and spending. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• The framework requires collecting specific information on in-kind and non-financial support. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• Provisions for data quality:

• The rules/guidance empower an agency or official to ensure the accurate and timely collection and publication of required data. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• The framework requires a verification process. (No, Partially, Yes) There are many different kinds of verification processes. In some cases, data is required from multiple parties engaged in an activity and that data is then cross-verified. In others, a dedicated agency or official has the authority to conduct audits, engaging with other agencies or external parties to verify information received.

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please briefly explain the verification process used, and which parts of collected data the framework requires to be verified and which parts it does not.

  If Yes: Please briefly explain the verification process used.

• Provisions for openness, timing, and structure:

• The framework requires regular updates, including updates in conjunction with campaigns and defined campaign schedules. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

• The rules/guidance support the collection of structured data. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue and explain your 'Partially' response.

  If Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.

Extent

• How comprehensive, in terms of jurisdiction, is the coverage of the laws, regulations, policies, or guidance assessed for this question?
  • They cover one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such rules/guidance, or with rules or guidance of a lesser quality.

    Supporting questions: Which locality does this framework cover?

  • They cover one or more localities and are a representative example of the kind of rules/guidance that can be found for all, or most, localities.

    Supporting questions: Please explain your answer and provide supporting urls if necessary.

  • They provide national coverage.

    Supporting questions: Please explain your answer and provide supporting urls if necessary.

Indicator Justification

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) calls for transparency regarding the role of money in politics. Transparent campaign and party financing is critical for understanding whose interests shape parties, ballot initiatives, and the decisions of specific public officials. For, while donating to a politician or political cause is widely considered a form of political participation, there is also widespread concern about the effects of money in politics—with particular questions regarding who donates to parties and campaigns, how much, and how that affects political outcomes.

To support political finance transparency efforts, this indicator thus investigates the frameworks countries have in place for collecting and publishing data on campaign and party finance. This indicator pairs with a related availability indicator to compare frameworks and actual practice.