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Stimulating the Vote: ARRA Road Spending and Vote Share

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  • Emiliano Huet-Vaughn

Abstract

This paper estimates the impact of public good spending on voting behavior in the United States, using a quasi-experimental design and the distribution of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) road projects in New Jersey. I find an approximate 1.5 percentage point increase in Democratic Party presidential vote share in areas close to highway and bridge expenditures. I consider two alternative mechanisms: one, a salience mechanism whereby spending and associated "funded-by" signage affect political preferences; the other, a possible political multiplier effect whereby stimulus spending improves local economic outcomes, generating incumbent votes. Evidence is inconsistent with the later explanation.

Suggested Citation

  • Emiliano Huet-Vaughn, 2019. "Stimulating the Vote: ARRA Road Spending and Vote Share," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 11(1), pages 292-316, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:11:y:2019:i:1:p:292-316
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/pol.20170151
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    Cited by:

    1. Olivier De Groote & Axel Gautier & Frank Verboven, 2020. "The political economic of financing climate policy : evidence from the solar PV subsidy programs," Working Paper Research 389, National Bank of Belgium.
    2. Sha, Wenbiao, 2023. "The political impacts of land expropriation in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    3. Su-Min & Alexandru, 2022. "Do Labels Polarise? Theory and Evidence from the Brexit Referendum," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2227, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    4. Mario F. Carillo, 2022. "Fascistville: Mussolini’s new towns and the persistence of neo-fascism," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 527-567, December.
    5. Ben Blemings & Margaret Bock, 2020. "Disamenity or a Signal of Competence? The Empirical Political Economy of Local Road Maintenance," Working Papers 20-07, Department of Economics, West Virginia University.
    6. Quiroz Flores, Alejandro & Pfaff, Katharina, 2021. "Private provision of public goods and political survival: Rail transport in four European democracies in the 20th century," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    7. Felix Kersting, 2022. "Welfare Reform and Repression in an Autocracy: Bismarck and the Socialists," Working Papers 0227, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    8. Lee, S-M., 2020. "Passing on the Baton: Positive Spillovers from the Olympics to Female Representation in US Politics," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2082, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    9. Carillo, Mario Francesco, 2018. "Fascistville: Mussolini's New Towns and the Persistence of Neo-Fascism," MPRA Paper 96236, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 03 Oct 2019.
    10. Marco Di Cataldo & Elena Renzullo, 2024. "EU Money and Mayors: Does Cohesion Policy affect local electoral outcomes?," Working Papers 2024: 02, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    11. Savu, A., 2021. "The Local Political Economy of Austerity: Lessons from Hospital Closures in Romania," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2120, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • H76 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Other Expenditure Categories
    • R42 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government and Private Investment Analysis; Road Maintenance; Transportation Planning

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