The personal vote seeking model has long dominated electoral rules research, but new findings suggest its applicability depends on the type of district representation.

A simpler "clarity" model offers a better explanation for pork allocation priorities in democracies. This theory proposes that high district magnitude reduces clarity about who deserves credit for pork outcomes because responsibility becomes dispersed across more legislators.

Our analysis uses elite survey data from 14 Latin American countries and 10 Western European democracies to demonstrate empirical support for the clarity model's predictions regarding pork provision priorities.