This dissertation examines the allocation of funds over the entire tenure of the HOPE VI, a public housing competitive grant, to determine if the program adhered to its program goals. This study focuses on the application and selection phases of HOPE VI. Moreover, this study looks to the scholarship on redistributive politics to gain an understanding of any deviations from projected program results. Within the context of an institutional policy analysis approach, this dissertation explores the consequences of using competitive grants as a policy tool for the HOPE VI program and postulates on its effects on program outcomes. An empirical analysis of the grant applicants and grant recipients finds that overall, large developments had a better rate in receiving grants and received more grants on their initial attempt. However, small public housing developments, which were not the focus of the HOPE VI program, submitted four times as many applications with a success rate of fifty-two percent. Overtime, cities with smaller populations are awarded more grants. / Ph. D.

This thesis evaluates the equity performance of a recent state environmental justice policy, California’s Senate Bill 535 (S.B. 535). “Environmental justice” refers to the disproportionate environmental harm imposed on low-income and minority communities. S.B. 535 uses competitive grants to provide funding to these communities. The research is centered around two questions: (1) to what extent has S.B. 535 experienced successful implementation in its first year of operation, and (2) how can policy actors improve implementation while balancing performance and equity goals? In regards to the first question, I utilize a case study of the policy’s implementation within 17 local governments in Riverside County. I find that the number of actors involved and the alignment of their interests prevent the policy from more successful implementation. Local government officials identify staff capacity as a primary concern in the program’s implementation. I then evaluate the policy’s balance of program performance and equity with an econometric analysis that characterizes the decisions of local governments to implement the policy. I find impressive equity performance, as low-income and minority populations are more likely to participate. The implementing governments have sufficient capacity to achieve program goals, as larger cities and cities with more staff per capita are more likely to participate. My findings support the use of competitive grants in environmental justice policies. The S.B. 535 grant program demonstrates the ability to distribute funding to governments with both socioeconomic disadvantage and the capacity for successful implementation. The analysis concludes with policy recommendations.