# 25. Political / organisational tricks ## 25.5. Methodology/Refinements/Sub-species ## 25.5.21. Pork-barrelling This tactic involves the allocation of public funds for dubious special interests. The origin of the term comes from the American Civil War era, when having pork indicated a family's general well-being. The term has come to have connotations with piggish behaviour, excess, inefficiency and bending to special interest groups, sometimes corruptly.