iKNOW Politics E-Discussion Forum on Financing Women in Politics

We are pleased to launch the third iKNOW Politics E-Discussion Forum on Financing Women in Politics to be held from October 22-29, 2008.

The E-discussion aims to address the financing of women in politics on a global level, and to create a knowledge base for future recommendations and action plans. Through this e-discussion women and their supporters can share strategies, experiences and examples with one another on how to overcome this barrier and take advantage of iKNOW Politics, a premier network for women in politics. The E-Discussion will be structured around the following general questions, which can be further developed by the participants:

1. Fundraising strategies for women candidates: What are some strategies that women have used effectively to raise money? What makes some women very successful fundraisers? What fundraising techniques work best in different political environments (i.e.: corporate donors, direct appeal to individuals, fundraising events, etc.)? What are some networks that women can draw upon for help in raising money?

2. Finance laws for women’s political participation: What are examples of political financing legislation that has reduced financial barriers to running for office (i.e. public campaign laws, tax deductibility, child care support, media access regulations, etc.)? What has been the impact of imposing electoral spending limits, public financing of political parties or limits on donation amounts and sources? What mechanisms are in place to implement provisions of financing laws? Have there been instances when financing laws become disadvantageous for women’s political participation? How do finance laws regulate vote buying practices and their negative effects?

3. The role of political parties: What can political parties do to remove financial barriers to women in politics? Which political party financing reforms most benefit women? When and where have gender quotas implemented by political parties been used as incentives for getting public funds? What are some examples of successful strategies championed by women’s party sections to provide women candidates with access to funding?

4. Women’s financial independence and access to public office: What are the key strategies employed by women candidates to fundraise for their political campaigns? Do women have equal access to moneyed networks to fundraise for their political campaigns? What is the correlation between women’s financial dependence on men and access to public office? How do different cultural contexts influence women´s access to money in politics? To what extent does the level of support from a woman’s family impact a woman’s ability to access funds to run for office? What structural changes need to be made at different levels (i.e. politically, socially, culturally) to ensure that financial inequalities are not a barrier to women running as candidates?

5. Women’s Participation in Local Governments and Local Elections: What distinct strategies have been employed by women to raise money in local elections? Do women candidates running in local elections face more financial barriers than women running in national elections? What are the main finance sources for women running in local elections? What are some examples of finance laws adopted by local governments to stimulate women’s political participation?

We look forward to receiving your responses to the above mentioned discussion questions as well as to learning about your experiences related to financing women in politics. You may contribute to the E-Discussion in English, French or Spanish, and participate at your own convenience. Please visit http://www.iknowpolitics.org/en/ediscussion for more details and instructions on how to register and participate in the forum.