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Distributive Politics and the Allocation of Federal Grants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Michael J. Rich
Michael J. Rich
Affiliation:
Brown University
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Abstract

Understanding the dynamics of policy distribution requires an appreciation of federal grant programs that have achieved a prominent place in nearly all areas of domestic policy. The theoretical literature on distributive politics, however, focuses almost exclusively on a centralized, top-down view of policy distribution. By examining the role of presidents, legislators, and bureaucrats, scholars have ignored participants who have become key actors in the distribution of federal expenditures—the recipient jurisdictions. This analysis of the allocation patterns under six federal programs shows that local governments exert important influences on the distribution of federal grants and that the distributional patterns and their determinants vary over time. The analysis also points out the importance of disaggregation by focusing on programs and recipient jurisdictions, as opposed to total federal expenditures and regions, states, or congressional districts.

Type
Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 83 , Issue 1 , March 1989 , pp. 193 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1989

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