THE INDUSTRIAL-STRUCTURE OF THE CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY - COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS, ECONOMIC INTERESTS, AND CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

This paper examines the provision of campaign contributions made by ec onomic interests to incumbents seeking reelection in the 1984, 1986, a nd 1988 California Assembly elections. The study tests whether the dis tribution of campaign contributions by specific industrial sectors cor responds to legislator possession of the policy property rights associ ated with membership on relevant Assembly standing committees. A non-p arametric statistical model compares the distribution of campaign cont ributions from groups within a given industrial sector to members of r elevant policy committees with the distribution of contributions from all other contributor classes. The empirical analysis confirms that co mmittee assignments significantly affect the allocation of special int erest resources in Assembly elections, substantiating the importance o f institutional considerations in influencing special interest activit y.