Strategic Advocacy for Higher Education Research: Insights From US Agricultural Experiment Station Funding

Gregory M. Perry, Trey Malone and Jay T. Akridge

Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 2026, vol. 48, issue 1, 251-265

Abstract: Amidst dwindling state funding and the legislative withdrawal from public university research support, a heightened political process shapes the allocation of scarce tax dollars. This article explores how advocacy within the political process influences funding support for higher education from state legislatures. We generate a novel dataset of state‐level experiment station funding allocations and explanatory variables from 2004 to 2018 to explore the financial and political elements impacting the support for state agricultural research funding decisions. We also address the interplay of economic conditions, legislative professionalism, and political will in shaping the funding landscape. Our findings emphasize that university advocacy efforts to connect with legislators and strategic positioning within university hierarchies are correlated with maintained and expanded agricultural research station funding.

Date: 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.70024

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:48:y:2026:i:1:p:251-265

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