John Hudak, “Presidential Pork: White House Influence over the Distribution of Federal Grants”

Summary: [Cross-posted from New Books in Political Science] John Hudak is the author of Presidential Pork: White House Influence over the Distribution of Federal Grants (Brookings Institute Press 2014). Hudak is a fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings Institution. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University. Hudak analyzes the often understudied side of presidential power: the power to disburse money through grants and contracts. He argues that president’s use this power in similar ways to legislators, advancing electoral and other political interests in key states. The book uses novel data and makes a compelling argument for electoral reforms.