Congress and the Political Economy of the National Endowment for the Arts

Thomas R. Gray and Jeffery A. Jenkins

Social Science Quarterly, 2021, vol. 102, issue 4, 1553-1568

Abstract: Objective We examine the relationship between the Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), from the agency's inception in the mid‐1960s to the present. The NEA has seen its fortunes rise and fall over time, as congressional appropriations and scrutiny have fluctuated with ideological and partisan change in the House and Senate. Methods We use Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and logistic regression models to examine the politics of the NEA systematically. Results We find that while the NEA has enjoyed some bipartisan support throughout its tenure, assistance for the agency has been more likely to come from more liberal members and Democrats, respectively. We also uncover some evidence that particular states and districts benefit more of less from NEA grants. Conclusion Overall, states and districts represented by Democrats do better in terms of both grants and grant dollars than states and districts represented by Republicans, with the most liberal Democratic House members doing especially well.

Date: 2021
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