Between 2007-2012, America’s most politically active corporations spent $5.8 billion on federal lobbying and campaign contributions. A Sunlight Foundation analysis suggests, however, that what they gave pales compared to what they got: $4.4 trillion in federal benefits.
Continue readingThere’s no sunlight in the shadows
Jason Grumet argues that there's a dark side to sunlight. But transparency is necessary for accountable government; in fact, it's hard-wired into the American democracy.
Continue readingThe enduring power of the ex-senator
Two events today prove you don't have to be an elected official or a registered lobbyist to wield clout in DC.
Continue readingWrangling messy political data into usable information
Former (and future) Sunlighter Zack Maril discusses his initial forays into advanced entity deduplication approaches.
Continue readingSecrecy and money have no place in lobbying – and a new bill aims to fix that
Today we focus on shining a brighter light on resources that are used to directly influence policy — the Lobbying and Campaign Finance Reform Act.
Continue readingTransparency bills could offer easy wins, but will Congress bite?
Congress returns from summer vacation with expectations that they will accomplish almost nothing before Election Day. But if members want to point to some accomplishments before voters go to the polls, they should look at bills aimed at strengthening transparency.
Continue readingHow the Lobbying Top Tier explains an influence paradox
Measuring political influence is a hard problem. And depending on how you set about measuring it, you can come to very different conclusions.
Continue readingDisclosure needed as Obama administration reverses lobbyist ban
The Obama administration announced it will reverse part of the lobbying ban it instituted in 2010 and allow registered lobbyists to serve on any of 1,000 advisory boards, commissions or panels that provide policy making advice to the government.
Continue readingNew research indicates STOCK Act might be working
New research into hedge funds with political access seems to have demonstrated that the STOCK Act is making a difference.
Continue readingPublic universities, for-profit colleges seek higher stake in student loans
Younger voters are notoriously disinterested in the political process. But an analysis of student loan lobbying suggests that major players in the political process are interested in them.
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