The Evolution of Distributive Benefits: The Rise of Letter-Marking in the United States Congress

Authors

Russell W. Mills, Bowling Green State UniversityFollow
Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, Bowling Green State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

THE RECENT MORATORIUM ON EARMARKS HAS GIVEN RISE TO A NEW AND LARGELY HIDDEN PRACTICE FOR SECURING DISTRIBUTIVE BENEFITS: LETTER-MARKING. LETTER-MARKING OCCURS WHEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ASK (IN WRITING) THE HEAD OF AN AGENCY TO RETAIN OR ALLOCATE DISTRIBUTIVE BENEFITS IN THEIR DISTRICTS. WHILE LETTER-MARKING IS COMMON IN WASHINGTON, THE SCHOLARLY LITERATURE HAS IGNORED THIS PRACTICE. WE USE A UNIQUE DATASET OF 101 CONGRESSIONAL LETTERS RELATING TO FAA FUNDING AND EMPIRICALLY ASSESS THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE LETTER-WRITER’S CHARACTERISTICS AND THE LETTER’S CONTENT IMPACT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACHIEVING THE OBJECTIVES. IN DOING SO, WE OFFER A NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF LETTER-MARKING.

Recommended Citation

Mills, Russell W. and Kalaf-Hughes, Nicole (2015) "The Evolution of Distributive Benefits: The Rise of Letter-Marking in the United States Congress," The Journal of Economics and Politics: Vol. 22: Iss. 1, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59604/1046-2309.1002
Available at: https://collected.jcu.edu/jep/vol22/iss1/4