Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Is Policy Enacted by Politicians or Corporate America?

Corporate America is the collective group of big business and bigger corporations within the United States. This group of business plays a big role into the United States’ economy; however, it may play a bigger role in the national scheme. Legislators are the people who writes or passes a law, this can be a lawmaker, politician, or elected officials. There might be more overlap within the two than society would perceive it to be. This study will analyze the financial and societal influence that corporate America has on politics, politicians, and the policies created by such. By taking the past thirty years and looking at the bigger corporate lobbyist and see where their donations lie and the outcome of politics after that. This is in order to see the trend or relationship between the two. In order to prove that a majority of policies made within the United States are within the interest of corporate America, instead of the interest for the betterment of society and the nation entirely. It is a trickle down from the policies and politicians’ being influenced by this sector to individuals voting out of conscience of their wallet and monetary value first. This trend will be analyzed by the highest donors for each campaign and their campaign map down to bills being enacted and the supporters who continue to influence them. This type of quantitative data will be proof that elected officials, or America in its entirety is more in the grasp of Corporate America than that of the “free will” democracy this nation was built on.