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Pork-Barrel Spending and State Employment Levels: Do Targeted National Expenditures Increase State Employment in the Long Run?

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  • J. Zachary Klingensmith

    (Penn State Erie)

Abstract

Pork-barrel spending is defined as a project that is funded by the national tax base and yet only benefits a small, localized population. Anecdotally, this type of spending is often criticized as short-sighted, inefficient, and wasteful. This paper is designed to determine whether pork-barrel spending is a driver of state economic growth, both state employment and gross domestic product, despite criticism to the contrary. I find that pork-barrel spending does have an effect on employment, but this effect is temporary.

Suggested Citation

  • J. Zachary Klingensmith, 2016. "Pork-Barrel Spending and State Employment Levels: Do Targeted National Expenditures Increase State Employment in the Long Run?," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 46(3), pages 257-279, Winter.
    • Handle: RePEc:rre:publsh:v46:y:2016:i:3:p:257-279
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    Cited by:

    1. Michah W. Rothbart & David J. Schwegman & Iuliia Shybalkina, 2022. "The impact of pork‐barrel capital funding in schools: Evidence from participatory budgeting in NYC," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 148-170, June.
    2. J. Zachary Klingensmith, 2019. "Using tax dollars for re-election: the impact of pork-barrel spending on electoral success," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 31-49, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    pork-barrel spending; employment;

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General

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