Research

Published Research

The Administrative Costs of Congressional Earmarking: The Case of the Office of Naval Research

Authors: James Savage

Discussions about congressional earmarking often focus on their direct costs in the federal government’s appropriations bills. This article shows that this conventional view neglects the administrative costs of earmarking by examining the extensive transaction and opportunity costs that come with the political, budgetary, and programmatic management of these earmarked projects in Congress and in the Office of Naval Research.

Learn more