UNIVERSALISM AND THE VALUE OF POLITICAL POWER
研究立法机构中普遍主义分配现象,通过博弈模型和1992年桥梁法案资本预算数据,发现16.73%的预算分配受政治权力而非实际需求影响。
Abstract Although legislatures typically use majority rule to allocate a budget in distributive legislation, unanimous consent over the broad allocation of benefits is pervasive. I develop a game‐theoretic model where members strategically interact in a universal coalition to determine allocations, with noncooperative bargaining as a threat point for the breakdown of cooperation. To quantify the effects of political power on the agreed‐upon allocation, I structurally estimate the model using the “Bridge Bill Capital Budget” in 1992. I find that 16.73% of the budget would be allocated differently if allocations were determined only based on actual needs.