ABSTRACT
The survey defines unrestricted state appropriations as those state dollars received by the institution through acts of a legislative body, except for gifts and contracts. These state funds are provided to an institution with no limitations or stipulations placed on them by legislature. An important economic, and arguably political indicator, is the effect of the tax rate on state support. A major premise in multi-case study design is that the sample must be representative of the population that it claims to represent. Several dichotomous variables were also included in the analysis, including the political party of the governor and majority of the legislature in office during budget creation. The goal of the analysis is to draw out the most stable factors which explain differences in state support over a longer term, regardless of short-term fluctuations in budgetary conditions. The implication is that Ohio State University OSU received less state appropriations than its peers, based on this analysis.
