Partisan Representation in Congress and the Geographic Distribution of Federal Funds

In a two-party legislature, districts represented by the majority party may receive greater spending if legislators in the majority have greater proposal power or disproportionately form coalitions with each other. The type of spending received may depend on the party-identity of its legislators if parties differ in ideology. Estimates from the United States -- using fixed-effect and regression-discontinuity designs -- indicate that states represented by members of Congress in the majority receive greater federal grants, especially in transportation. States represented by Republicans receive more defense spending than those represented by Democrats; the latter receive more spending for education and urban development.

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