Replication Data for: Private funding, party politics and regulatory change: how the British Conservative Party prospered under Labour’s political finance reforms (doi:10.7910/DVN/ZTXM6T)

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Part 2: Study Description
Part 3: Data Files Description
Part 4: Variable Description
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Replication Data for: Private funding, party politics and regulatory change: how the British Conservative Party prospered under Labour’s political finance reforms

doi:10.7910/DVN/ZTXM6T

Harvard Dataverse

2024-12-12

1

Wilks-Heeg, Stuart; Hopkin, Jonathan, 2024, "Replication Data for: Private funding, party politics and regulatory change: how the British Conservative Party prospered under Labour’s political finance reforms", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/ZTXM6T, Harvard Dataverse, V1, UNF:6:d1ly2ryJoouYPCPazcls6Q== [fileUNF]

Replication Data for: Private funding, party politics and regulatory change: how the British Conservative Party prospered under Labour’s political finance reforms

doi:10.7910/DVN/ZTXM6T

Wilks-Heeg, Stuart (University of Liverpool)

Hopkin, Jonathan (London School of Economics and Political Science)

Harvard Dataverse

Wilks-Heeg, Stuart

IPSR, RISP

2024-12-12

https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/ZTXM6T

Social Sciences, electoral rules, political finance, political parties, United Kingdom

Before 2000, the UK operated one of the most liberal political finance regimes of any established democracy. Parties were highly dependent on private financing, state funding was minimal, limited transparency requirements existed with respect to party income or expenditure, and no limits applied to national election spending. Far-reaching reforms introduced by Labour in 2000 changed this regulatory environment radically, establishing donation disclosure requirements and capping election spending. However, Labour’s reforms did not include significant increases in state funding, leaving the UK as a continued outlier in Western Europe in assuming political parties should predominantly be funded through private means. In this paper, we show how the Conservatives ultimately prospered under Labour’s reforms, enabling them to greatly outspend Labour at four general elections from 2010 to 2019. Using the public registers created by Labour’s reforms, we document how the party’s financial re-stabilisation while in opposition was assisted to a surprising degree by state funding and how the party’s donor base has shifted towards wealthy individuals and privately owned companies since its return to government in 2010. We conclude with a number of observations about how the apparently exceptional UK case can help generate important insights for the comparative study of political finance.

Wilks-Heeg S, Hopkin J (2024). Private funding, party politics and regulatory change: how the British Conservative Party prospered under Labour’s political finance reforms. Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2024.11

10.1017/ipo.2024.11

Wilks-Heeg S, Hopkin J (2024). Private funding, party politics and regulatory change: how the British Conservative Party prospered under Labour’s political finance reforms. Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2024.11

• Number of cases: 122

• No. of variables per record: 21

• Type of File: text/tab-separated-values

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• Number of cases: 24509

• No. of variables per record: 37

• Type of File: text/tab-separated-values

UNF:6:QzeUSzVGcQmNfBUDwFL9BQ==

• ECRef - Electoral Commission Annual Accounts Reference
• RegulatedEntityName - Name of Regulated Entity (Political Party)
• AccountingUnitName - Sub-Unit of Poiltical Party
• RegisterName - Register for Great Britain or Northern Ireland
• ReportingPeriodDescription - Year of Acccounts or Election
• TotalIncome - Central Party Income
• TotalExpenditure - Central Party Expenditure
• NetAssets - Central Party Net Assets
• NetLiabilities - Central Party Net Liabilities
• SubmittedDate - Date Annual Accounts Submitted
• PublishedDate - Date Annual Accounts Published
• FinancialYearEnd - End Date of Financial Year
• BandName - Income Above or Below £250,000
• SoaType - Statement of Account Type
• SOARedactedDocumentId - ID of Redacted Party Accounts
• GenElect - General Election Year (Yes/No)
• PartyElectionSpend_GE - Total Party Spend on General Election Campaign
• CandidateElectionSpend_GE - Total Aggregated Spend by Party's Election Candidates
• TotalElectionSpend_GE - Total Party and Candidate Spending at General Election
• Year_Election - Year of General Election
• ConLabIncome - Conservative Party Income as % of Labour Party Income
• ECRef - Electoral Commission Reference
• RegulatedEntityName - Name of Regulated Entity (Political Party)
• RegulatedEntityType
• Value - Value of Donation (£s)
• AcceptedDate - Date Donation Accepted
• AccountingUnitName
• DonorName - Name of Donor (as appears on register)
• StandardisedName - Standardised Name (coded by authors)
• DonorGroup - Donor Group (assigned by authors)
• DonorGroupRank - Ranking of Donor Groups by Total Value
• AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty
• IsSponsorship
• DonorStatus
• DonorCode - Donor Status (coded)
• RegulatedDoneeType
• CompanyRegistrationNumber
• Postcode - Postcode of Company Donor
• DonationType - Type of Donation
• NatureOfDonation
• PurposeOfVisit
• DonationAction
• ReceivedDate - Date Donation Received
• YearReceived - Year Donation Received
• ReportedDate - Date Donation Reported to Electoral Commission
• IsReportedPrePoll
• ReportingPeriodName
• IsBequest
• IsAggregation
• RegulatedEntityId
• AccountingUnitId
• DonorId - ID of Donor
• CampaigningName
• RegisterName - Register: Great Britain or Northern Ireland
• IsIrishSource - Money is from Republic of Ireland
• DonorCode_Simp - Donor Status as 4 Groups
• DonationValue_Bands - Donation Value by Band
• filter_$ - DonorGroupRank <11 (FILTER)

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f10777161 Location:

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f10777161 Location:

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f10777161 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 122.0; Min. 2001.0; Mean 2011.327868852459; StDev 5.89640964149746; Max. 2021.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:MI60MZlGrIutS97P5wVMwQ==

f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 1.6864965148175746E7; Mean 1.336654297333333E7; Min. 29522.0; Valid 120.0; Max. 6.7995E7

Variable Format: numeric

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Summary Statistics: Max. 5.7278E7; Valid 120.0; Mean 1.3216746546666665E7; Min. 21228.0; StDev 1.6501591562771114E7;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:dXBj8CxttqpvUE2ML2Ga9A==

f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 0.0; StDev 9569340.807539; Mean 6103242.758250001; Valid 120.0; Max. 4.0052E7

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:qOMOfDmv8JQAwSgR131zHQ==

f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 120.0; Mean 6926281.446333338; Max. 4.5317E7; StDev 1.0458103452717269E7; Min. 0.0

Variable Format: numeric

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Variable Format: character

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f10777161 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 654.0; StDev 8028.7940171587; Max. 24347.0; Mean 15322.820512820519; Valid 78.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:nDKKnpaCx/X644EA5BabcQ==

f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 1.0; StDev 0.44169618009759004; Mean 0.2622950819672131; Min. 0.0; Valid 122.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:3BV+Gqje8VNPfft2weqwAQ==

f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 8009483.43; Max. 1.859258975E7; StDev 3443265.504265538; Mean 1.41880542375E7; Valid 12.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:9YNdWlvVVUv6a0qJXVi3pw==

f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 3750223.0; Valid 12.0; Mean 5900043.878083333; Max. 1.019934849E7; StDev 2255438.241756816;

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 1.448612843E7; Mean 2.0088098115583334E7; StDev 4345061.852047346; Valid 12.0; Max. 2.6639297020000003E7;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:bfFJX63J+vIZUjJtNZDTpA==

f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 6.780095646058172; Min. 2001.0; Max. 2019.0; Mean 2011.1666666666667; Valid 12.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777161 Location:

Summary Statistics: Mean 126.5; StDev 34.40394714196859; Valid 20.0; Max. 221.0; Min. 80.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:ZMOgLitk5Dl1oTyeKVKt6Q==

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Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 5000000.0; Valid 24509.0; Min. 0.0; StDev 80129.89692142562; Mean 20785.994124197518

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

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f10777166 Location:

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 1.0; Valid 5126.0; StDev 27.825108741130876; Max. 152.0; Mean 35.28248146703048

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Mean 0.02468480966175662; Max. 1.0; Valid 24509.0; StDev 0.155165886022635; Min. 0.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 0.10757942446215112; Valid 24509.0; Min. 0.0; Mean 0.011709984087477742; Max. 1.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 11.0; Mean 2.2481129381042724; Min. 1.0; Valid 24509.0; StDev 2.5997029467675294;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:u9QQnr5kXFrAV5cGWnKUxQ==

f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. NaN; Max. NaN; StDev NaN; Mean NaN; Valid 0.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:oK8LTcdNOknnRRWgcJsB6Q==

f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

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f10777166 Location:

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f10777166 Location:

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 2022.0; StDev 5.649209015817276; Min. 2001.0; Mean 2012.3349526453296; Valid 24496.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

Notes: UNF:6:sQax+285Vni0MVueqv6fYw==

f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 0.0; Mean 0.0; Valid 15054.0; Min. 0.0; Max. 0.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:0j6fVR6JUpEw/amE25W7XA==

f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

Notes: UNF:6:LOzuw2z/aQxAvfMzD1QkKA==

f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 24509.0; Mean 0.011179566689786334; Max. 1.0; StDev 0.10514292671714225; Min. 0.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 24509.0; StDev 0.31914979045881303; Max. 1.0; Min. 0.0; Mean 0.11510057529887079;

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 0.021180925174274896; Max. 52.0; Mean 51.999551185278875; Min. 51.0; Valid 24509.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 7340.0; Valid 12869.0; Mean 1497.7212681638034; Min. 902.0; StDev 885.7321822614251

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:s7l+LHQd2o0iFpoF1oHQUw==

f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 95268.0; Min. 14.0; Valid 24506.0; StDev 27463.379097904082; Mean 42318.6093201674

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:awqR1GQbxlUXD5KgDs94GA==

f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 0.0; StDev NaN; Min. NaN; Max. NaN; Mean NaN

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:oK8LTcdNOknnRRWgcJsB6Q==

f10777166 Location:

Variable Format: character

Notes: UNF:6:NJmqkRmLb+Dl/Gj2wCvV4Q==

f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 24276.0; Max. 0.0; Mean 0.0; Min. 0.0; StDev 0.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:nSctRT+2FcP81Czs0fAueA==

f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 4.0; Mean 1.948631115100578; StDev 0.857010723979162; Min. 1.0; Valid 24509.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 5.0; Min. 1.0; StDev 0.8427190525932073; Mean 1.5257660451262711; Valid 24509.0

Variable Format: numeric

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f10777166 Location:

Summary Statistics: Mean 0.26355833008190804; Min. 0.0; Max. 1.0; Valid 5126.0; StDev 0.4406055026746918

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:shvCDPMGqlUmOTaUEdE9GQ==

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Revised SPSS code for Wilks-Heeg and Hopkin.spv

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SPSS code for Wilks-Heeg and Hopkin.spv

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Table 2 Explanation.xlsx

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Wilks-Heeg and Hopkin New Code for Figure 2 and Table 2.spv

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