Suggested plan for research design essay. Question "how did campaign finance affect voting on healthcare reform?" or "implied threats and implied bribes - Citizens United and legislator action"
Does spending help secure votes in congressional elections (literature review)
Theoretical basis for spending influence (lit review)
Does funding change legislator action?
Models - lobbyists give to legislators most different in views (persuasion/vote buying) - literature review
Lobbyists give to legislators most similar in views (legislative subsidy) - literature review
What is healthcare reform? Summary of historical background
Detailed explanation of the various bills/congressional discussions since 111th congress
Research methods - break down the bill - who voted for against? who voted for/against certain provisions, e.g. public option
Regression model - dependent variable - voting for provisions - independent variables - party, proportion of donations by PACs etc., polling info?
Process tracing for key actors
