"If every citizen has equal influence, democracy works." Seven countries took that literally.
Several democracies have introduced strict caps or complete bans on large private donations to political parties and candidates. France limits individual contributions to €7,500 per year. Canada caps them at $1,675. Belgium, Portugal and South Korea enforce similar restrictions. In some of these nations, corporate donations are banned entirely.
Studies show mixed but mostly positive results: lower corruption levels, higher public trust in elections. The tradeoff is that creative workarounds still exist, including shell organizations and third party spending loopholes.
In the U.S., the Supreme Court continues to classify campaign donations as protected free speech.