The distribution of financial
resources can affect young people’s representation within political parties and
the electoral process. High and often escalating costs often limit
opportunities for young people with relatively less influence or financial
means, regardless of how eager they are to run for office. In some countries, state and government
resources are systematically used during campaign periods for the advantage of
incumbents. This weakens the position of opposition candidates and young people
who are not associated with incumbent governments or candidates. Recognizing
that political activities often require (considerable) financing, many
countries have introduced state subsidies to level the playing field and
encourage political pluralism. Earmarking state subsidies for specific
activities and/or target groups is not new and has been used in several countries
to promote the representation of underrepresented groups in political
institutions.
In the United States, EMILY’s list
has been a useful tool for mobilizing financial support for pro-choice women
candidates in the Democratic Party (emilyslist.org).
In order to increase meaningful
participation from young people and marginalized groups with which the youth
population intersects (such as, women, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities
and persons with disabilities), proper regulation of donations and campaign
expenditure is needed to ensure all individuals in parties have equal access to
funding. A small number of countries,
including Ireland and Kenya, have drafted legislation requiring parties to use
part of their funding to increase youth political representation.
Although a number of countries have
made laws in an effort to enhance youth representation, many lack mechanisms to
enforce legislation by collecting, scrutinizing, and disclosing financial
reports or to address violations. In the absence of mechanisms to investigate
political parties’ donations and expenditures and hold political parties
accountable, it is unlikely that political parties will be penalized for not
complying with the rules. Yet, despite this rather obvious correlation, about
25 per cent of the countries for which data was available during research for a
2012 report lacked regulations obliging any agency to examine financial reports
or to investigate potential political finance violations.[i]
