Party funding in a new democracy

The post-Franco experience of party funding in Spain is of interest for a number of reasons. First, Spain’s transition to democracy is generally regarded by observers as a success story, and a foundation for the country’s re-emergence as a much more effective player on the international scene. ¹ Second, and somewhat paradoxically, the quality of Spanish democracy has been the subject of much criticism, some of it relating to the illicit funding of political parties. ² And third, although state subsidization of a multi-party system is only twenty years old, it has already been the subject of reform on two occasions, in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. This fact immediately casts doubt on the effectiveness of the early post-Franco provisions, yet confirms Spain’s value as a laboratory for examining the differential effects of alternative funding arrangements.