Pork-barrel spending – that often reviled custom otherwise known as 'earmarks' – may well help Congress pass bills on schedule. Banned since 2011, they may be making a comeback.
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Articles on government spending
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The cuts to higher education funding are more about making savings than improving higher education, and would be extremely hard to change in the future.
President Trump recently released his tax plan, but he's also said he wants to stimulate the economy with infrastructure spending. Is one more effective than the other at boosting growth?
Australia has the third most expensive education system in the OECD, but we might not be getting what we pay for.
Trump should drop his plans to cut taxes and instead look to some of our closest friends to learn what policies actually work to build and sustain a vibrant middle class.
The government is reinforcing the dichotomy between "them" and "us" with this budget's welfare changes, but it lacks solid evidence of effectiveness.
Total government spending has increased over time. But the pressure on the budget under a Turnbull government is more acute now than ever before, because spending is outpacing revenue.
If you look at past budgets, the proposed cuts in social security programs are disproportionate to the amount the government spends.
We need to redirect government spending on crime prevention to programs and policies that the research tells us are most effective.
Modern monetary theory is gaining traction in a global economic environment that defies the efforts of policymakers to restore growth.
National governments do not, and should not, behave like a private household.
While MYEFO discussion focuses on the budget deficit, experts say it also serves as a stark reminder of the need for bigger policy ideas in Canberra.
Beyond debates about the avocado smash generation lies some misnomers on which generation had it better.
Not only is it cheaper to provide permanent supportive housing to the homeless, but the improvement to their lives is immeasurable.
Our infrastructure systems should promise what is worth having, and then deliver what is promised.
A new report highlights how little we know about what works and what doesn't when it comes to publicly-funded Indigenous programs. It's a similar story in other policy areas – but we can do better.
A study estimates that Americans would pay $92 billion yearly in extra taxes to protect national parks. But the Trump Administration's budget calls for cuts.
Was Greens leader Richard Di Natale right to say the government spends $3 billion each year on the "offshore detention centre regime"?
The work of David Aschauer could help the government put a more positive spin on spending.
Republicans immediately labeled the president's budget proposal dead on arrival, but the very nature of government means it remains very much alive.
Top contributors
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John Daley is a Friend of The Conversation.Chief Executive Officer, Grattan Institute
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Peter Whiteford is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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Professor, Griffith Business School, Griffith University
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Fellow, Grattan Institute
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Professor of Institutional Economics, RMIT University
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Professorial Fellow in the Department of Economics, University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University
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Professor of Economics, University of Canberra
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Productivity Growth Program Director, Grattan Institute
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Economist at Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University
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John Zerilli is a Friend of The Conversation.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Otago
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Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia
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Associate Professor, Centre for Social Research and Methods, Director, Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), Australian National University
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Director, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and Bankwest Research Chair in Economic Policy, Curtin University
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Director, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology
