ABSTRACT
In the 1980 Presidential contest the two major party candidates had ostensibly equal campaign resources. This chapter examines research dealing with economic conditions and national voting patterns. It focuses upon literature involving politicians' efforts to manipulate the national economy over time. It reviews the few studies which have looked at possible election-motivated manipulation of the geography of spending. The chapter conceptualises models formulated to test for Presidential vote-buying in the geography of federal spending. This test leads to the conclusion that geographical patterns of federal outlay are not immune to electoral concerns, though the degree of sensitivity varies from time to time and context to context. One type of evidence regarding economic conditions and electoral outcomes can be found in the statements of Presidential candidates and their advisors. Studies of relationships between geographical spending patterns and Presidential electoral considerations for more recent times have produced less spectacular results.
