Crafting Urban Policy

Abstract

This article assesses how policy framing and targeting may influence public support for federal initiatives that address urban problems. Does directing federal aid to specific target groups, programmatic uses, or types of cities affect the level of public support? To explore these questions, the authors conducted two survey experiments asking whether respondents support aid to cities while randomly varying the framing and targeting conditions. The evidence suggests that some framing and targeting strategies (particularly, targeting specific programmatic uses) do affect public support for urban aid. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of the analysis for support for federal urban assistance.