Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Connections: Is campaign finance misunderstood?

When we talk about campaign finance, those in favor of reform say corporate money in politics threatens democracy. But two social scientists say the influence of cash in politics is misunderstood and reform is not a cure-all. University of Rochester professor David Primo and University of Missouri professor Jeffrey Milyo say despite what many Americans believe, super PAC spending doesn't dominate campaigns. After analyzing decades of survey data from the public and experts, Primo and Milyo argue that changes in state-level campaign finance laws have little to no effect on attitudes toward government.

This hour, we talk about their research and their forthcoming book, "Campaign Finance and American Democracy: What the Public Really Thinks and Why it Matters."Our guests:

  • David Primo, Ani and Mark Gabrellian Professor of Political Science and Business Administration at the University of Rochester
  • Jeffrey Milyo, professor of political economics, law and economics, and health economics; and chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Missouri 

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.