http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=60331
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=272787 http://www.cfp2000.org/papers/franklin.pdf http://www.yale.edu/yup/books/092628.htm On Mon, 8 Sep 2003, Steve Schear wrote: > Everyone knows that money is the life blood of politics. The topic of > campaign finance reform in the U.S. has been on and off the front burner of > the major media, for decades. Although the ability of citizens and > corporations to support the candidates and parties of their choice can be a > positive political force, the ability of political contributors to buy > access and influence legislation is probably the major source of > governmental corruption. Despite some, apparently, honest efforts at > limiting these legal payoffs there has been little real progress. The > challenge is to encourage "neutral" campaign contributions. Perhaps > technology could lend a hand. > > One of the features of Chaimian digital cash is unlinkability. Normally, > this has been viewed from the perspective of the payer and payee not > wishing to be linked to a transaction. But it also follows that that the > payee can be prevented from learning the identity of the payee even if they > wished. Since the final payee in politics is either the candidate or the > party, this lack of knowledge could make it much more difficult for the > money to be involved in influence peddling and quid pro quo back room deals. > > By combining a mandated digital cash system for contributions, a cap on the > size of each individual contribution (perhaps as small as $100), randomized > delays (perhaps up to a few weeks) in the "posting" of each transaction to > the account of the counter party, it could create mix conditions which > would thwart the ability of contributors to easily convince candidates and > parties that they were the source of particular funds and therefore > entitled to special treatment. > > Comments? > > steve > > > A foolish Constitutional inconsistency is the hobgoblin of freedom, adored > by judges and demagogue statesmen. > - Steve Schear > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Cryptography Mailing List > Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -- Please visit http://www.icannwatch.org A. Michael Froomkin | Professor of Law | [EMAIL PROTECTED] U. Miami School of Law, P.O. Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL 33124 USA +1 (305) 284-4285 | +1 (305) 284-6506 (fax) | http://www.law.tm -->It's very hot here.<-- --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]