| The scholarship on distributive politics in developing countries continues to explore: (i) the conditions that influence the allocation of goods and services; and (ii) the often-conflicting roles of the elected official as both a legislator with a focus on national-level priorities, and a provider of constituency services. This study adds to that scholarship by analyzing the influence of political, constituency, and MP-level characteristics in the allocation of public funds to public, private, and club goods at the constituency level. The analysis utilizes data from a distinct type of public spending program, the Constituency Development Fund which offers a precise measure of constituency service effort by elected officials. In examining the CDF in Jamaica and Kenya, the study shows that the political environment in which CDF-like tools exist heavily influences the decision to spend on public, private, and club goods. |
