Stewart, DavidJohnson, Anna Elizabeth2016-12-092016-12-0920162016Johnson, A. E. (2016). A Comparative Analysis of Political Finance Regulation in the Maritime Provinces (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24664http://hdl.handle.net/11023/3482Money is crucial to the functioning of democracy and is often used as a tool to influence the political process. However, concerns about real or perceived corruption has led many jurisdictions to regulate political finances. Politics in the Maritime Provinces have long been notorious for corrupt practices. Yet, political finance regimes have existed in these provinces for several decades. Using historical and political contexts and three benchmarks for political finance regulation—equality of opportunity for political actors, equality of opportunity for private actors, and mitigation of corruption—the effectiveness of the regimes in the Maritime provinces is assessed. Differing experiences with internal and external pressures for reform have led to varying results. In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, internal pressures due to shifting attitudes toward equality led to more comprehensive and effective regimes than that of PEI, which was spurred by external forces through a contagion effect.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Political ScienceCanadian PoliticsPolitical FinanceMaritime ProvincesParty PoliticsPolicy Developmentmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/24664