The Politics of Allocating Homeland Security Money to States
From the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: “Politics or Risks? An Analysis of Homeland Security Grant Allocations to the States.”
Abstract: In the days following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the nation’s elected officials created the USA Patriot Act. The act included a grant program for the 50 states that was intended to assist them with homeland security and preparedness efforts. However, not long after its passage, critics charged the Department of Homeland Security with allocating the grant funds on the basis of “politics” rather than “risk.” This study analyzes the allocation of funds through all seven of the grant subprograms for the years 2003 through 2006. Conducting a linear regression analysis for each year, our research indicates that the total per capita amounts are inversely related to risk factors but are not related at all to partisan political factors between 2003-2005. In 2006, Congress changed the formula with the intention of increasing the relationship between allocations and risk. However, our findings reveal that this change did not produce the intended effect and the allocations were still negatively related to risk and unrelated to partisan politics.
I’m not sure I buy the methodology, but there it is.
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DayOwl • October 7, 2010 7:14 AM
Note the “partisan” politics qualifier. It could very well be political but not related to party politics.
Any government distribution of funds is going to be subject to political manipulation. There should be no surprise that politicians and their appointees act like…politicians!