ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I further investigate the conditional influence of contributions. Specifically, I test whether various committee characteristics affect the strength of the relationship between interest group money and votes. The idea that committees differ and, therefore, have different decision making processes is not new. A committee’s jurisdiction (Hinckley 1975; Maltzman 1997) and the nature of its clientele groups (Fenno 1973) have been shown to influence committee decision making. Based on anecdotal evidence and our understanding of the nature of committees, I identify three types of committees in which votes may be particularly appropriate as a reciprocal offering for contributions.
