Legend of the Pork-Barrel? The Causal Effect of Legislature Size on Public Spending

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Holzmann ◽  
Orlando Zaddach
Keyword(s):  
Causal Effect ◽  
Public Spending ◽  
Pork Barrel ◽  
Legislature Size

scholarly journals The Effect of Legislature Size on Public Spending: A Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huzeyfe Alptekin ◽  
Danilo Freire ◽  
Umberto Guarnier Mignozzetti ◽  
Catarina Roman
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Public Spending ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Public Expenditures ◽  
Significant Heterogeneity ◽  
The Law ◽  
Legislature Size ◽  
Seminal Article ◽  
Inference Methods ◽  
The Relationship

In a seminal article, Weingast et al. (1981) argue that there is a positive relationship between legislature size and inefficiency in public expenditures. Their proposition is currently known as the "law of 1/n" and has been widely debated in political science and public administration. However, recent studies have questioned the validity of the theory. In this letter, we estimate the first meta-analysis of the relationship between the number of legislators and public spending. Based on a sample of 29 articles, we find no robust evidence for the effect of legislature size on government budgets. Yet the aggregate results show significant heterogeneity. While earlier studies provide moderate support for the "law of 1/n", papers using causal inference methods consistently find a negative relationship between seats and spending. The available evidence also indicates that proportional representation and mixed voting systems are no more likely to overspend than majoritarian ones.

scholarly journals Inefficiency in Legislative Policymaking: A Dynamic Analysis

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Battaglini ◽  
Stephen Coate
Keyword(s):  
Public Good ◽  
Infinite Horizon ◽  
Public Spending ◽  
State Level ◽  
National Defense ◽  
Legislative Bargaining ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pork Barrel ◽  
Distortionary Taxation ◽  
Legislative Policy

This paper develops an infinite horizon model of public spending and taxation in which policy decisions are determined by legislative bargaining. The policy space incorporates both productive and distributive public spending and distortionary taxation. The productive spending is investing in a public good that benefits all citizens (e.g., national defense) and the distributive spending is district-specific transfers (e.g., pork-barrel spending). Investment in the public good creates a dynamic linkage across policymaking periods. The analysis explores the dynamics of legislative policy choices, focusing on the efficiency of the steady-state level of taxation and allocation of spending. (JEL D72, E62, H20, H50)

scholarly journals Regional Transfer Multipliers

2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 1901-1934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Corbi ◽  
Elias Papaioannou ◽  
Paolo Surico
Keyword(s):  
Regression Discontinuity ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Public Spending ◽  
Fuzzy Regression ◽  
Regression Discontinuity Design ◽  
Allocation Mechanism ◽  
Municipal Governments ◽  
Local Labour ◽  
Income Multiplier ◽  
Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design

Abstract A series of discontinuities in the allocation mechanism of federal transfers to municipal governments in Brazil allow us to identify the causal effect of public spending on local labour markets, using a “fuzzy” Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD). Our estimates imply a cost per job of about 8,000 US dollars per year and a local income multiplier around two. The effect comes mostly from employment in services and is more pronounced among less financially developed municipalities.

Estimating the Magnitude of the Relation Between Bullying, E-Bullying, and Suicidal Behaviors Among United States Youth, 2015

Crisis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin S. Kuehn ◽  
Annelise Wagner ◽  
Jennifer Velloza
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Average Causal Effect ◽  
Effects Of Bullying ◽  
Pc Algorithm ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Significant Covariates

Abstract. Background: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among US adolescents aged 12–19 years. Researchers would benefit from a better understanding of the direct effects of bullying and e-bullying on adolescent suicide to inform intervention work. Aims: To explore the direct and indirect effects of bullying and e-bullying on adolescent suicide attempts (SAs) and to estimate the magnitude of these effects controlling for significant covariates. Method: This study uses data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBS), a nationally representative sample of US high school youth. We quantified the association between bullying and the likelihood of SA, after adjusting for covariates (i.e., sexual orientation, obesity, sleep, etc.) identified with the PC algorithm. Results: Bullying and e-bullying were significantly associated with SA in logistic regression analyses. Bullying had an estimated average causal effect (ACE) of 2.46%, while e-bullying had an ACE of 4.16%. Limitations: Data are cross-sectional and temporal precedence is not known. Conclusion: These findings highlight the strong association between bullying, e-bullying, and SA.

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