Clientelism and Corruption in the Wake of Disasters

Abstract

Puerto Rico’s history of crises provides an opportune context for analyzing corruption in times of disaster. This article forwards a conceptual understanding of the phenomenon of pork-barrel spending and disaster resource allocations as instances of corruption. The article expands the traditional focus of pork-barrel spending on legislative appropriations to include disaster aid. In our view, electorally motivated disaster resource distribution is a form of clientelism that enables corruption on a larger scale. Drawing from data on energy restoration crew deployments and election results, we use the case of Hurricane María power restoration efforts to point to the electoral consequences of the partisan distribution of disaster resources. We find a relationship between the timing of crew deployments and support for the party in power, suggesting the plausibility of our theory. Our findings motivate the need for policies that mandate transparency in disaster resource allocation and more equitable distribution of resources.