Money in Politics Research Grants
Deadline: December 15th, 2020
The deadline for this grant opportunity has passed. Grant recipients will be announced in February of 2021.
About
Money has an outsized role in our politics. Wealthy individuals, corporations, and other groups use monetary donations to guarantee candidates’ allegiance and influence policy decisions. This has given corporations and the wealthy significant power over policy outcomes. It has also restricted who can run for office, influenced how lawmakers spend their time, and made institutions less responsive to the concerns of everyday Americans.
We currently seek academics and other researchers investigating the impact of money in politics.
Research focus
QUery On Inc.’s research board is particularly interested in research that quantifies or otherwise describes how money in politics affects policy outcomes, and by extension, the quality of life of American citizens. The board will also prioritize projects whose findings hold the potential to raise the public demand for reform. Thus, the board is less interested in projects focused on reform ideas, and more interested in research that illustrates the problems generated by our current system.
Potential topics
We recognize the difficulties in establishing clear evidence of causation when studying the influence of money on political outcomes. Although we prefer research that aims to establish causation, we would consider projects that, at minimum, are capable of demonstrating an association between money and political outcomes.
The following is a list of sample research questions the board would find of interest:
How have campaign contributions in recent years shaped outcomes in specific policy areas? Examples of worthwhile projects include examinations of:
Campaign contributions from drug manufacturers to lawmakers responding to the opioid epidemic
How money from corporations affects the development or enforcement of local environmental regulations
How money influences the selection of government contractors
How union or other money influences the treatment and benefits offered to government employees
Methodology + publication
The QUOI board will only consider funding projects that meet reasonable methodological standards. Our hope is that research teams will submit projects for publication in professional journals and also disseminate knowledge through public forums.
Proposals
Proposals should be 2–3 pages and include the following:
A research question and a clear statement of work that can be completed within six months of the award
A summary of the project (1–2 pages) explaining the area of focus, a description of methods, relevant prior work, and a timeline with milestones and expected outcomes (note that the timeline should not be more than six months)
A draft budget description (<1 page) including an approximate cost of the award and explanation of how funds would be spent. The proposed budget should be within $25,000.
Name(s) of the researcher(s) involved in the proposed work with their CV/resume