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The impact of pork‐barrel capital funding in schools: Evidence from participatory budgeting in NYC

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  • Michah W. Rothbart
  • David J. Schwegman
  • Iuliia Shybalkina

Abstract

Pork‐barrel spending is a form of public spending controlled by individual legislators and primarily serving a local interest. In this paper, we investigate the impact of a type of pork, council member capital discretionary education spending voted upon in a participatory budgeting (PB) process, on school budgets and performance in New York City. Exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in discretionary spending induced by the PB elections, we find winning a PB election increases school pork appropriations. However, we find no evidence these transfers from council members improve fiscal and performance outcomes. Further, pork may interfere with school budgeting.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:pbudge:v:42:y:2022:i:2:p:148-170
    DOI: 10.1111/pbaf.12307
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