With the talk of an Economic Stimulus Package that is being worked out in the US Congress, I thought it would be good to get an understanding of what is "Public Goods" verses "Pork-barrel Legislation."
Here are some definitions I found:
Public goods
Also called collective goods. These are a very special class of goods which cannot practically be withheld from one individual consumer without withholding them from all (the “nonexcludability criterion”) and for which the marginal cost of an additional person consuming them, once they have been produced, is zero (the “nonrivalrous consumption” criterion). The classic example of a nearly pure public good is national defense: you cannot defend the vulnerable border regions of a country from the ravages of foreign invaders without also simultaneously defending everyone else who lives within the borders. The inability of potential providers to exclude people who refuse to pay from nevertheless consuming and benefitting from an expensive public good usually means that very many of the consumers of the good will act as free riders and choose not to help pay for its provision. Consequently private production of the good or service may prove unprofitable, and the good or service thus may not be provided at all by the free market — even though everyone might concede they would be better off with some positive level of production of the good in question.
Actually, the public goods problem is not quite as hopeless as the simple version of the theory makes it sound. Various social arrangements have evolved to encourage the provision of public goods. The non-profit “third sector” of the economy devotes considerable effort to the provision of public goods financed by voluntary contributions that are motivated by appeals to people's “civic conscience” (or to their desire for the honors and respect that the community spontaneously accords to “public benefactors”). Voluntary contributions may also be gathered from those people most intensely and deeply concerned about the particular social need being addressed or from those who can be “shamed” into it by informal social pressures that withdraw status and respect from people identified and stigmatized as free riders.
In addition to these non-profit approaches, the provision of public goods may often be handled through ordinary market forces if some way can be found to link the consumption of the public good to the consumption of some other good that does not suffer from the “non-excludability” problem and hence can generate a profit. A shopping mall offers good examples of such “tying” arrangements. The mall management provides such public goods to shoppers as security protection, a clean and pleasant environment, public water fountains and rest rooms, entertainment, etc. without direct charges — but, since these amenities attract larger crowds of customers to the mall and increase sales for the stores located there, the mall's owners are able to command higher rents from their tenants.
It should also be noted that at least a partial provision of public goods often occurs when there is a single person (or a rather small group of persons) who feel they stand to benefit personally from a particular public good to such an unusually large degree that it is worthwhile for them to go ahead and just pay for the whole thing while ignoring the many other small-time free riders as irrelevant. (Remember, by the definition of a public good, the free riders' additional consumption does not cost anything extra.)
The classic “solution” to the problem of under-provision of public goods has been government funding through compulsory taxation (often, but not necessarily, accompanied by actual government agency production of the good or service in question). Although this may substantially alleviate the problem of numerous “free riders” that refuse to pay for the benefits they nevertheless love to receive, it should be noted that the political process does not provide any very plausible method for determining what the “optimal” level of provision of a public good actually is. When we cannot observe what individuals are willing to give up in order to get the public good, how can we (or the politicians) assess how urgently they really want more or less of it, given the other possible uses of their money? So any given public good will still most likely be either under-provided or over-provided under government stewardship. Note also that the “public goods” problem is an extreme special case of the more general problem of externalities.
Pork-barrel legislation
Appropriations of public funds by Congress (or other legislative assemblies) for projects that do not serve the interests of any large portion of the country's citizenry but are nevertheless vigorously promoted by a small group of legislators because they will pump outside taxpayers' money and resources into the local districts these legislators represent. Successful promotion of such pork-barrel legislation (often through skillful logrolling) is very likely to get the legislator re-elected by his constituents. Classic examples of such pork-barrel legislation include Federal appropriations bills for dams, river and harbor improvements, bridge and highway construction, and job-training centers, as well as legislation designed to prevent closure of obsolete or unneeded military installations, prisons, VA hospitals and the like.
from: http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/public_goodsa>
Is this pork?
MainStreet Economic Recovery Survey
Return to Participating Cities
City
State
Program
Project Description
Funding Required
Jobs
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Noise Monitoring System Upgrade
500,000
25
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Resurfacing Taxiway L from TWY F7 to TWY F
375,000
25
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Environmental Management System
1,500,000
45
St. Louis
MO
Airport
North Apron Reconstruction
5,200,000
157
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Taxiway E Reconstruction--Part 2
6,700,000
202
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Taxiway V Reconstruction--Part 2
8,500,000
257
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Taxiway D Reconstruction
8,800,000
266
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Taxiway E Reconstruction--Part 3
9,000,000
272
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Taxiway E Reconstruction--Part 1
9,200,000
278
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Taxiway V Reconstruction--Part 1
9,700,000
293
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Runway Centerline Panel Replacement
10,000,000
302
St. Louis
MO
Airport
Taxiway S Reconstruction
11,200,000
338
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
CORTEX Life Sciences Business Park Site Preparation
1,000,000
27
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Carver School Modernization
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Habitat for Humanity Streetscape Improvements
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Habitat for Neighborhood Business Infrastructure/Energy Enhancements
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Handy Park Improvements
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Park/Street Enhancements at New Animal Care Facility
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North Market Place/Old North St. Louis Streetscape Improvements
1,300,000
39
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Grand Center Infrastructure/Safety Improvements
1,500,000
45
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Forest Park "Heels & Wheels" Trail
1,800,000
54
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Grandel Theater Modernization
1,950,000
59
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Delmar Streetscape Improvements--Hodiamont to Goodfellow
2,000,000
60
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Manchester Pedestrian Lighting--KingsStreets/Roads to Vandeventer
2,000,000
60
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
New Park Development
2,000,000
60
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
River Des Peres Greenway Extension--Part 1
2,000,000
60
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
River Des Peres Greenway Extension--Part 2
2,000,000
60
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Adelaide Business Campus stormwater and drainage
2,000,000
60.4
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Hall Street Improvements
2,000,000
60.4
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Forest Park Urban Golf Course Renovation
2,100,000
63
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Grand Center Adaptive Church Reuse--Park/Exhibition Space
2,250,000
68
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Lafayette Square Pedestrian Lighting
2,500,000
76
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
West Florissant Streetscape Improvements--I-70 to Adelaide
2,500,000
76
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Macklind Streetscape Improvements--Chippewa to Eichelberger
3,000,000
90
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North KingsStreets/Roads Streetscape Improvements--Delmar to Dr. MLK
3,000,000
90
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Carrie Avenue/Northside Business Park Streetscape/Infrastructure
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
City Hall Historic Renovation--Exterior Cleaning
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Dick Gregory Place Infrastructure
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Grand Center Performance Green
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
I-70/Goodfellow Streetscape Improvements
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Meramec Avenue Streetscape Improvements--Grand to S. Broadway
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North Grand Avenue Streetscape Improvements--Delmar to Dr. MLK
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North Grand Avenue Streetscape Improvements--Water Tower District
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Forest Park Bridge/Muny Tributary Replacement
3,300,000
100
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Hyde Park Renovation Plan Implementation
3,700,000
112
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
City Hall Historic Renovation--Exterior Repairs/Roofing/Lighting
4,000,000
120
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Dr. Martin Luther King Pedestrian Lighting--Grand to Kinghsighway
4,000,000
120
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Morganford Streetscape Improvements--Arsenal to Chippewa
4,000,000
120
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
South Grand Streetscape Improvements--Arsenal to Gravois
4,000,000
120
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
West Florissant Streetscape Improvements--Riverview to I-70
4,000,000
120
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Mallinckrodt Streetscape Improvements
4,000,000
121
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Sarah Avenue Streetscape Improvements--Vandeventer to Lindell
4,000,000
121
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Locust Streetscape Improvements--Tucker to Jefferson
5,000,000
133
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Euclid Avenue Streetscape Improvements--Forest Park Parkway to Lindell
4,500,000
136
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Chippewa Streetscape--Grand to South Broadway
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
City Hall Historic Renovation--Interior Public Spaces
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Delmar Streetscape Improvements--Tucker to Jefferson
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Hall Street Drainage/Streetscape Improvements
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North Broadway Streetscape Improvements
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
River des Peres Streetscape/Drainage Improvements
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Skinker Boulevard--Delmar to Dr. MLK
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Arlington Grove Infrastructure--Dr. MLK, Union, Lotus, City Limits
5,500,000
166
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Grand Center Streetscape Improvements
5,675,000
171
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Morganford Streetscape Improvements--Chippewa to Holly Hills
6,000,000
180
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Laclede's Landing Cobblestone Renovation/Streetscape Enhancements
6,000,000
181
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Norville Brown Teen Center Renovation/Construction
6,500,000
196
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Soldiers Memorial Improvements
7,000,000
211
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Various Enhancements--Non-Arterial Streets throughout City
7,000,000
211
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North Central Plan Infrastructure Implementation--Enright, Page, Vandeventer, Sarah
7,500,000
227
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Federal Mogul Acquisition/Site Preparation
7,700,000
233
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North KingsStreets/Roads Streetscape Improvements--Dr. MLK to W. Florissant
8,000,000
242
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Parc Pacific Park Enhancements/Event Space
9,000,000
272
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Various Recreation Center Enhancements
9,500,000
287
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
North Side Recreation Center
10,000,000
302
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
South Broadway Streetscape Improvements--Arsenal to Delor
10,000,000
302
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
South Jefferson Streetscape Improvements--Chouteau to Broadway
10,000,000
302
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
University of Missouri St. Louis Public Media Education Center
11,000,000
332
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Branch Street Trestle Bicycle/Pedestrian Trail Extension
15,000,000
453
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Natural Bridge Streetscape Improvements--N. Florissant to N. KingsStreets/Roads
15,000,000
453
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
VA Hospital/Grand Center Retail/Parking Structures
19,750,000
596
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
St. Louis Center Retail/Parking Conversion
20,000,000
604
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Kiel Retail/Parking Structure Development
30,000,000
906
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Downtown/Central Business District Streetscape Improvements (66 Blocks)
33,000,000
997
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Gateway Mall Park Enhancements
50,000,000
1510
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Vandeventer/Southwest/KingsStreets/Roads Streetscape
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Terry Park Improvements
1,500,000
45
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Michigan Avenue Streetscape (E. Davis to Schirmer)
2,300,000
69
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Jamieson Streetscape Improvements (Arsenal to Chippewa)
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
South Broadway Streetscape (Courtois to Upton)
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Gravois Avenue Streetscape (Loughborough to Taft)
6,500,000
196
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
South KingsStreets/Roads Boulevard Streetscape (Christy to Southwest)
8,000,000
242
St. Louis
MO
CDBG
Municipal Dock Repair/Replacement
20,000,000
604
St. Louis
MO
Energy
"Green" Pedestrian Lighting in Area of I-70, W. Florissant, Riverview
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
Energy
New Energy-EFficient Street Department/Equipment Services Building
17,000,000
540
St. Louis
MO
Energy
City Hall Renovation--Electrical Modernization
25,000,000
755
St. Louis
MO
Energy
Historic Police Headquarters Energy Enhancement/Retrofit
25,000,000
755
St. Louis
MO
Energy
City Government Recycling Program Expansion
4,500,000
St. Louis
MO
Energy
City-Wide Single-Family Residential Recycling Program Expansion
18,000,000
St. Louis
MO
Energy
Replacement of Petroleum-Fueled City Fleet Vehicles with/Energy Efficient Fuel System Vehicles
41,700,000
St. Louis
MO
Energy
Reforestation of City Parks
6,500,000
196
St. Louis
MO
Energy
Energy-Efficient Lighting Upgrades--All City Facilities
10,000,000
302
St. Louis
MO
Energy
City-Owned Buildling HVAC Energy Efficient Replacements/Upgrades
20,000,000
604
St. Louis
MO
Energy
Solar Power Augmentation in City-Owned Buildings for Green Power and Peak Load Shedding
21,250,000
642
St. Louis
MO
Energy
Convention Center LEED Certification Repairs/Replacements/Enhancements
51,245,000
1548
St. Louis
MO
Housing
6323 Minnesota
225,000
6.795
St. Louis
MO
Housing
2821 Texas
250,000
7.55
St. Louis
MO
Housing
3139 Ohio
250,000
7.55
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Aubert Place
350,000
10.57
St. Louis
MO
Housing
4557 Flad
400,000
12.08
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Cabanne Homes (AA)
400,000
12.08
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Riverview-West Florissant Scattered Sites
490,000
14.798
St. Louis
MO
Housing
2801 Wyoming
500,000
15.1
St. Louis
MO
Housing
3143 and 3145 Ohio
500,000
15.1
St. Louis
MO
Housing
3324 Missouri
500,000
15.1
St. Louis
MO
Housing
King's Estates
600,000
18.12
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Blue Shutters Historic Homes
650,000
19.63
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Tower Grove East Building A Neighborhood of Dreams
650,000
19.63
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Greater Ville Community Center
700,000
21.14
St. Louis
MO
Housing
5020, 5022, 5024 West Florissant
735,000
22.197
St. Louis
MO
Housing
RHCDA/Community Renewal Affordable Homes
750,000
22.65
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Cochran Gardens HOPE VI Inrastructure
1,400,000
42
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Arlington Heights
2,000,000
60.4
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Ville Estates
2,000,000
60.4
St. Louis
MO
Housing
Murphy Park Early Childhood Center
9,600,000
290
St. Louis
MO
Public Safety
New Police Evidence Warehouse
2,500,000
76
St. Louis
MO
Public Safety
Department of Public Safety Information Systems Upgrades
1,500,000
St. Louis
MO
Public Safety
Consolidated Public Safety Answering Point
20,000,000
604
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public School Buildings--Furnishings
5,000,000
10
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public School Buildings--Site Improvements
9,800,000
296
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public School Buildings--School Interior Finishes
14,800,000
447
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public School Buildings--Exterior Enclosure Repairs/Replacements
23,000,000
695
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public School Buildings--Lead Abatement/Remediation
25,000,000
752
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public School Buildings--Plumbing Upgrades/Replacements
44,300,000
1336
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public School Buildings--Electrical Upgrades
52,300,000
1579
St. Louis
MO
Schools
St. Louis Public Schools--Additional Interior/Exterior/Systems Repairs/Replacements/Enhancements
7,540,000
228
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
CORTEX Street Improvements/Traffic Enhancements
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Manchester/McCausland Traffic Improvements
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Loughborough/I-55 Bridge Expansion
1,500,000
45
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Wellington Bridge Replacement
3,000,000
91
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Lafayette/I-55 Ramp Reconfiguration
4,000,000
121
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Skinker/McCausland/Clayton Road/I-64 Intersection Improvements
4,000,000
121
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Off-System Preventive Bridge/Road Maintenance
6,000,000
180
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
On-System Preventive Bridge/Road Maintenance
6,000,000
181
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
On-System Preventative Maintenance
6,000,000
210
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Compton Avenue Bridge Renovation/Replacement
7,000,000
211
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
I-70/Mississippi River Bridge--Extension of Cass/Bridge Exit Ramps to Tucker
8,000,000
242
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
McCausland/Ellendale/Wabash Traffic Improvements
8,000,000
242
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Various Traffic Signal Interconnects
12,000,000
360
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Arterial Resurfacing/Enhancements--Various Streets
15,000,000
453
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
S. KingsStreets/Roads Bridge Replacement at Union Pacific Tracks
17,000,000
513
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Chestnut/I-64 Interchange Reconfiguration
29,000,000
604
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Tucker Avenue Bridge Replacement--Cass to Washington
35,000,000
1057
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
Regional Wayfinding Program
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
Streets/Roads
I-70 Mississippi River Bridge--Extension of Cass/Bridge Connection to Tucker/N. Florissant, Other Companion Street Improvements
15,000,000
451
St. Louis
MO
Transit
Regional Transit Data Infrastructure Upgrade
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
Transit
Transit Rolling Stock Replacement
5,000,000
151
St. Louis
MO
Transit
Grand Avenue MetroLink Station Upgrades/Grand Avenue Bridge
16,550,000
500
St. Louis
MO
Transit
Eads MetroLink/Vehicular Bridge Rehabilitation
25,000,000
755
St. Louis
MO
Transit
Fixed Lane Trolley Development--Serving "Loop"/Washington University
35,000,000
906
St. Louis
MO
Transit
Light Rail Rehabilitation/Preventive Maintenance--Original 1993 Alignment
45,000,000
1359
St. Louis
MO
Transit
Transit System Operating Deficit
50,000,000
1510
St. Louis
MO
Transit
North/South MetroLink Extensions
900,000,000
20000
St. Louis
MO
Water
KingsStreets/Roads and Pipe Yard Facilities Improvements
350,000
13
St. Louis
MO
Water
Macklind Outfall Separation/Other Overflow Improvements
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
Water
Wharf Street Pump Station Replacement
1,000,000
30
St. Louis
MO
Water
Bissell Point Treatment Plant Repairs/Improvements
1,300,000
39
St. Louis
MO
Water
Historic Water Tower Renovations
1,400,000
42
St. Louis
MO
Water
Seismic Bypass at Stacey Park Reservoir
1,500,000
45
St. Louis
MO
Water
Water Main Renovations
1,500,000
45
St. Louis
MO
Water
Water Treatment Plant Improvements
2,850,000
86
St. Louis
MO
Water
Water Distribution System Improvements
3,500,000
106
St. Louis
MO
Water
Floodwall Repairs/Enhancements
20,000,000
604
St. Louis
MO
Water
"Green" Alley Reconstruction
30,000,000
906
St. Louis
MO
Water
Harlem-Baden Relief Detention System
35,500,000
1072
Totals:
$2,413,335,000.00
63,198.69
