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ID: 117471

Geographic distribution of the federal stimulus of 2009 / Gimpel, James G; Lee, Frances E; Thorpe, Rebecca U

Lee, Frances E	Journal Article
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2012.

Summary/Abstract

JAMES G.GIMPEL, FRANCES E.LEE, and REBECCA U.THORPE investigate why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 did not always focus additional resources on areas where the recession's downturn was most severe. They examine whether funds were allocated according to pork barrel politics or instead via "policy windows" through which advocates steered a diverse group of programs long desired for reasons unrelated to the recession. They find some support for both theories, but policy window effects were more important than pork barrel politics in accounting for distributional outcomes.

Key Words

America ; Geographic Distribution ; Pork Barrel Politics

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ID: 141306

Perverse politics: the persistence of mass imprisonment in the twenty-first century / Thorpe, Rebecca U

Thorpe, Rebecca U	Article
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Summary/Abstract

I examine the political consequences of prison development in the United States. I theorize that the prison apparatus not only upholds a system of racial hierarchy and class stratification, but also links the economic stability of lower-class, rural whites to the continued penal confinement of poor, urban minorities. Analysis of an original dataset suggests that local reliance on existing prison infrastructure throughout many economically-depressed rural communities strengthens political support for harsh criminal punishments and militates against reform efforts. Political representatives have powerful interests in protecting rural prison investments, regardless of their actual economic impact in host communities. The evidence indicates that rural prison development contributes to the perceived economic viability and political power of rural areas, while reinforcing forms of punishment that destabilize poor urban neighborhoods and harm politically marginalized populations.

Key Words

United States ; Political Power ; Twenty-first century ; Rural Areas ; Persistence ; Political Consequences ;
Perverse Politics ; Mass Imprisonment ; Racial Hierarchy ; Political Representatives

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