pork-barreling

1 9.1

Using government money to pay for local projects to please voters

noun
/ˈpɔrkˌbɛrəlɪŋ/

Literature

: clientelismo

Critics argue that pork-barreling often leads to wasteful spending on projects that are not beneficial to the general public.

Examples

Critics claim that pork-barreling undermines trust in government spending.
He defended his record, insisting pork-barreling was necessary to improve his district.
The senator was accused of pork-barreling to secure funds for unnecessary local projects.
The senator's pork-barreling tactics angered many constituents.
Is pork-barreling really the best way to allocate funds?
The local government was accused of engaging in pork-barreling to win votes for the upcoming election.
Many politicians use pork-barreling to gain favor with constituents by funding local initiatives and improvements.

Synonyms

pork barrel

vspork-barreling

Jargon

12 7.9

Government money used for local projects to please voters

is the same practice focused on securing funds for local political advantage

logrolling

vspork-barreling

Literature

8.9

Politicians exchange votes to each get support for their bills

focuses on securing funds for local projects to please voters and legislators

jobbery

vspork-barreling

Archaic

9.9

Using a public office to get personal money or benefits

seeks public funds to benefit an area or win political support not personal profit

How Targeted

pork-barreling

Literature

1 9.1

earmark

72 4.6

Surface Forms

pork-barreling singular

pork-barrelings plural

Morphology

pork-barreling = pork-barrel (opaque) = pork + barrel + ing

The target form is a regular -ing derivation from the verb 'pork-barrel'.

Etymology

The word pork-barreling comes from the older phrase pork barrel, an image of politicians handing out a barrel of pork to win votes. So pork-barreling means using government money for local projects 'to please voters' or to win political advantage.