Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Brilliant AchievementBrilliant Achievement

Editor's Pick

The Benefits to Politicians of Pandemic Payouts

Jeffrey Miron

A standard assumption about elected officials is that they act in the best interests of their constituents. Perhaps that is true in some cases, but more generally they seem motivated by self-interest:

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US government transferred nearly $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments—the largest influx of federal money in response to a public health or financial crisis in history. The goal was to stabilize the economy while providing states with the necessary resources to address the public health crisis.

However, our research finds that this aid had another effect: increasing the electoral chances of incumbent politicians. Nationwide, incumbents and their parties won 90 percent of gubernatorial and Senate elections during the pandemic, a substantial improvement from their 81 percent win rate in the years leading up to the pandemic.

This result does not, by itself, prove the pandemic payouts were a mistake. It does, however, suggest the amounts were excessive, and not well-aligned to their best uses.

This article appeared on Substack on September 18, 2024.

Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get Premium Articles For Free
Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

You May Also Like

Editor's Pick

Gene Healy I have no end of uncharitable thoughts about recent American presidents; yet, when I’m cataloging their sins, the words “undue caution” have...

Editor's Pick

Last week, the broader market Indices hit another new high on Thursday before pulling back into Friday’s close. Not all areas participated, however, as...

Editor's Pick

Travis Fisher It’s no secret that administrative agencies have significantly overstepped their statutory authority in recent decades. The Supreme Court’s recent Loper Bright ruling—marking...

Tech News

Better Siri might be here by the spring. | Screenshot: YouTube Siri will finally get better in spring 2025 when Apple makes its Apple...