Since 1969 more than a dozen studies have explored the grossly unequal state-level distribution of New Deal spending. Why did small population rural states such as Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming receive up to six times as many federal dollars per capita as densely populated states such as...

Several studies on the New Deal have found that political factors played a significant role in determining 1930s federal spending. This suggests that federal spending was not captured by special interest groups and self-interested politicians recently, but rather, that it has been affected by...