R/peers.R

@@ -143,6 +143,10 @@ cog_find_peers <- function(target_govid,
 #' @param per_capita Default `TRUE` — peer compare usually normalizes by
 #'   population.
 #' @param adjust_to_year Integer base year for CPI-U conversion or `NULL`.
+#' @param expenditure_concept `"direct"` (default) or `"total"`. Currently only
+#'   `"direct"` is accepted; the `"total"` option exists in [cog_spending()] for
+#'   single-government queries but cannot be used here because combining Total
+#'   across peer sets counts intergovernmental transfers twice.
 #' @return Tibble matching [cog_spending()]'s columns, plus a `role`
 #'   column taking values `"target"`, `"peer"`, `"summary_p25"`,
 #'   `"summary_p50"`, or `"summary_p75"`, `target_rank` (target's rank
@@ -153,8 +157,13 @@ cog_find_peers <- function(target_govid,
 #'   `cohort_year`, and `cohort_govids`.
 #' @export
 cog_peer_compare <- function(target_govid, peers, category, years,
-                             per_capita = TRUE, adjust_to_year = NULL) {
+                             per_capita = TRUE, adjust_to_year = NULL,
+                             expenditure_concept = c("direct", "total")) {
   call <- match.call()
+  expenditure_concept <- match.arg(expenditure_concept)
+  if (identical(expenditure_concept, "total")) {
+    .abort_concept_not_aggregatable("cog_peer_compare")
+  }
   if (!is.character(target_govid) || length(target_govid) != 1L) {
     cli::cli_abort("`target_govid` must be a length-1 character string.")
   }

R/rollup.R

@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@
 #'   population from `gov_population_yearly`. Govs with missing population
 #'   are excluded from the result.
 #' @param adjust_to_year Integer base year for CPI-U conversion, or `NULL`.
+#' @param expenditure_concept `"direct"` (default) or `"total"`. Currently only
+#'   `"direct"` is accepted; the `"total"` option exists in [cog_spending()] for
+#'   single-government queries but cannot be used here because combining Total
+#'   across multiple layers of government double-counts intergovernmental
+#'   transfers (a state's payment to a school district is the same dollar the
+#'   district reports as its own Direct spending).
 #' @return Tibble with columns `year`, `layer`, `canonical_govid`, `gov_name`,
 #'   `spend_subtype`, `category`, `amt_nominal`, optional `amt_real` /
 #'   `amt_per_capita_nominal` / `amt_per_capita_real`, optional `pop_source`,
@@ -33,8 +39,13 @@
 #'   and `rollup$included_govids` / `rollup$excluded_govids`.
 #' @export
 cog_geographic_rollup <- function(govids, category, years,
-                                  per_capita = FALSE, adjust_to_year = NULL) {
+                                  per_capita = FALSE, adjust_to_year = NULL,
+                                  expenditure_concept = c("direct", "total")) {
   call <- match.call()
+  expenditure_concept <- match.arg(expenditure_concept)
+  if (identical(expenditure_concept, "total")) {
+    .abort_concept_not_aggregatable("cog_geographic_rollup")
+  }
   .validate_rollup_layers(govids)
 
   govids <- lapply(govids, .coerce_govid_input, arg = "govids[[layer]]")

R/spending.R

@@ -82,6 +82,22 @@ cog_spending <- function(govid, years, category = NULL,
   )
 }
 
+#' @noRd
+.abort_concept_not_aggregatable <- function(verb) {
+  cli::cli_abort(c(
+    "{.code expenditure_concept = \"total\"} cannot be used in {.fn {verb}}.",
+    "*" = "Use {.code expenditure_concept = \"direct\"} (the default) for any \\
+           comparison or sum that spans more than one government.",
+    "i" = "Why: Census \"Total\" is a government's own Direct spending PLUS the \\
+           money it hands to other governments. The receiving government reports \\
+           that same dollar again as its own Direct when it actually spends it, \\
+           so combining Total across governments double-counts intergovernmental \\
+           transfers.",
+    "i" = "For one government's own Total, use \\
+           {.code cog_spending(expenditure_concept = \"total\")}."
+  ), class = "uscogdata_concept_not_aggregatable")
+}
+
 #' @noRd
 .verb_spendrev <- function(verb, view_base, subtype_col, flow_prefixes, call,
                            govid, years, category,

man/cog_geographic_rollup.Rd

@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ cog_geographic_rollup(
   category,
   years,
   per_capita = FALSE,
-  adjust_to_year = NULL
+  adjust_to_year = NULL,
+  expenditure_concept = c("direct", "total")
 )
 }
 \arguments{
@@ -27,6 +28,13 @@ population from `gov_population_yearly`. Govs with missing population
 are excluded from the result.}
 
 \item{adjust_to_year}{Integer base year for CPI-U conversion, or `NULL`.}
+
+\item{expenditure_concept}{`"direct"` (default) or `"total"`. Currently only
+`"direct"` is accepted; the `"total"` option exists in [cog_spending()] for
+single-government queries but cannot be used here because combining Total
+across multiple layers of government double-counts intergovernmental
+transfers (a state's payment to a school district is the same dollar the
+district reports as its own Direct spending).}
 }
 \value{
 Tibble with columns `year`, `layer`, `canonical_govid`, `gov_name`,

man/cog_peer_compare.Rd

@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ cog_peer_compare(
   category,
   years,
   per_capita = TRUE,
-  adjust_to_year = NULL
+  adjust_to_year = NULL,
+  expenditure_concept = c("direct", "total")
 )
 }
 \arguments{
@@ -27,6 +28,11 @@ cog_peer_compare(
 population.}
 
 \item{adjust_to_year}{Integer base year for CPI-U conversion or `NULL`.}
+
+\item{expenditure_concept}{`"direct"` (default) or `"total"`. Currently only
+`"direct"` is accepted; the `"total"` option exists in [cog_spending()] for
+single-government queries but cannot be used here because combining Total
+across peer sets counts intergovernmental transfers twice.}
 }
 \value{
 Tibble matching [cog_spending()]'s columns, plus a `role`

tests/testthat/test-expenditure-concept.R

@@ -186,3 +186,44 @@ test_that(".verb_spendrev rejects expenditure_concept = 'total' for a non-spendi
     class = "uscogdata_expenditure_concept_unsupported"
   )
 })
+
+test_that("cog_geographic_rollup refuses expenditure_concept = 'total'", {
+  expect_error(
+    cog_geographic_rollup(
+      govids = list(state = "010000226085"),
+      category = "Police", years = 2019,
+      expenditure_concept = "total"
+    ),
+    class = "uscogdata_concept_not_aggregatable"
+  )
+})
+
+test_that("cog_peer_compare refuses expenditure_concept = 'total'", {
+  expect_error(
+    cog_peer_compare(
+      target_govid = "010000226085", peers = "010000226085",
+      category = "Police", years = 2019,
+      expenditure_concept = "total"
+    ),
+    class = "uscogdata_concept_not_aggregatable"
+  )
+})
+
+test_that("the refusal message names the fix and the reason", {
+  err <- tryCatch(
+    cog_geographic_rollup(govids = list(state = "010000226085"),
+                          category = "Police", years = 2019,
+                          expenditure_concept = "total"),
+    condition = function(e) e
+  )
+  msg <- paste(conditionMessage(err), collapse = " ")
+  expect_match(msg, "direct")
+  expect_match(msg, "double-count|double count")
+})
+
+test_that("both cross-government verbs still accept the direct default", {
+  expect_no_error(
+    cog_geographic_rollup(govids = list(state = "010000226085"),
+                          category = "Police", years = 2019)
+  )
+})