Is Stimulus Funding Political?
Has the distribution of simulus funds been influenced by political factors? A study by Veronique de Rugy suggested a partisan tilt in the disbursement of stimulus funds; she found a strong correlation, but no definitive evidence of causation. This prompted a response from Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight. de Rugy replied here , prompting a surreply from Silver . And here’s a comment from Nick Gillespie . Here is de Rugy’s bottom line : my take on the data has always been the following: The regression analysis shows that district’s party representation matters. However, I cannot say how much it matters compared to other factors (such as the formula used by different agencies). I said it loud and clear each time I presented my findings. . . If it is not possible to nail down the precise amount that party affiliation matters, does anyone truly want…

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It’s time for a cool change, LBers, in the form of an afternoon roundup post to finish the day.
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