Using National Data Sources to Compare Subnational Policies: Insights from the American Rescue Plan Act

Abstract

In federal systems, central governments invariably maintain data on the fiscal activity of subnational jurisdictions. While these datasets have much to offer comparative policy analysts, they can also create misleading impressions of reality. This is in part because official datasets render invisible the politics that shapes subnational governments’ fiscal choices. Using these datasets, the article argues, requires researchers to understand the technical and political considerations that inform their design. A discussion of the authors’ research on how local governments in the United States are using federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to support novel Community Violence Interventions (CVIs) illustrates the argument.