The Underbelly of Congressional Pork: A QuantCrit Study of Partisanship, Race, and Distributive Politics

Purpose: Federal academic earmarks represent a revealing site to examine the racialized dynamics of higher education funding policy. Considering this and drawing on the concept of racialized change work, the present QuantCrit study investigates mechanisms underlying the racialized distribution of academic earmarks, including relative partisanship and racialized congressional caucus membership, by the two main US political parties. Research Methods/Approach: We constructed a novel data set using federal earmark data from fiscal years 2022 and 2023 matched to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, the Cook Partisan Voting Index, and caucus membership rosters. Leveraging this data set, we examine the extent to which Democrats and Republicans differ in their distribution of earmarks across higher education, including between white-serving institutions (WSIs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) as well as among MSIs. We also examine the extent to which racialized partisanship and congressional caucuses predict this distribution, beyond party affiliation. Findings: The two major US political parties allocate earmarks distinctly. Republicans disproportionately sponsor earmarks to WSIs, whereas Democrats are committed to funding MSIs even as they sponsor far less generous earmarks on average. Beyond party, relative partisanship matters in the assignment of these benefits, with Right-leaning political contexts correlating with an outsized preference for whiter institutions. Implications: This study highlights missed opportunities on the part of both parties to use earmarks to build MSIs’ capacity and support low-income students, underscoring the importance of more strategic, intentional funding and lobbying to shape earmark allocations.