Publications
Publications
- June 2023
- HBS Case Collection
The Business of Campaigns
By: Vincent Pons and Mel Martin
Abstract
In 2022, the U.S. Congress examined the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, the latest in a long series of campaign finance reforms. According to its authors, the law would be the “most consequential overhaul of federal campaign finance” in 20 years. In addition to prohibiting campaign spending by foreign nationals, the reform would require organizations to disclose their major political donors in order to curtail the rise of “dark money” following the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC. The emergence of new online conduits also spurred an increase in small campaign contributions, which some hoped might counterbalance the influence of large donors. Overall, significantly more money entered politics in the U.S. than in any other democracy: $17.20 per capita in 2020 (case p. 5).
Beyond changes in campaign finance, electoral campaigns have undergone dramatic changes in the last two decades, from the revival of campaign strategies focusing on the mobilization of non-voters to the increasing reliance on social media, such as the unprecedented use of Twitter by Donald Trump in 2016. While campaign activities had long been determined by culture and habit, modern campaigns were informed by the latest advances in social science. They used rich individual-level data to choose which voters to target with outreach efforts. Campaigns have made dramatic gains in efficiency. However, scandals such as the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data breach led observers, regulators, and many concerned citizens to wonder whether candidates were abusing the vast resources available to them to manipulate the electorate.
As they were discussing DISCLOSE, members of Congress debated whether 1) business involvement in campaigns had been a force for good; 2) campaign contributions should be encouraged or curtailed; and 3) regulations of other dimensions of electoral campaigns should be reformed.
Beyond changes in campaign finance, electoral campaigns have undergone dramatic changes in the last two decades, from the revival of campaign strategies focusing on the mobilization of non-voters to the increasing reliance on social media, such as the unprecedented use of Twitter by Donald Trump in 2016. While campaign activities had long been determined by culture and habit, modern campaigns were informed by the latest advances in social science. They used rich individual-level data to choose which voters to target with outreach efforts. Campaigns have made dramatic gains in efficiency. However, scandals such as the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data breach led observers, regulators, and many concerned citizens to wonder whether candidates were abusing the vast resources available to them to manipulate the electorate.
As they were discussing DISCLOSE, members of Congress debated whether 1) business involvement in campaigns had been a force for good; 2) campaign contributions should be encouraged or curtailed; and 3) regulations of other dimensions of electoral campaigns should be reformed.
Keywords
Political Elections; Government Legislation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Business and Government Relations; United States
Citation
Pons, Vincent, and Mel Martin. "The Business of Campaigns." Harvard Business School Case 723-039, June 2023.