Economics
The Political Economy of Campaign Finance Regulation and Free Speech
Quick fact
In the 2010 case Citizens United v. FEC, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations and unions can spend unlimited money on independent political ads, treating such spending as protected free speech. This decision opened the door to Super PACs and a massive increase in outside election spending.
Why this is interesting
You’ve heard that money is speech—but if that’s true, can we ever limit how much people spend to influence elections? Why does the law allow billionaires to spend unlimited amounts, yet still cap direct donations to candidates?