Public Budgeting in the United States: The Cultural and Ideological SettingBudgeting has long been considered a rational process using neutral tools of financial management, but this outlook fails to consider the outside influences on leaders’ behavior. Steven G. Koven shows that political culture (moralistic, traditionalistic, individualistic) and ideological orientations (liberal vs. conservative) are at least as important as financial tools in shaping budgets. Koven examines budget formation at the national, state, and local levels to demonstrate the strong influence of attitudes about how public money should be generated and spent. In addition to statistical data, the book includes recent case studies: the 1997 budget agreement; Governor George W. Bush’s use of the budget process to advance a conservative policy agenda in the state of Texas; and Mayor Marion Barry’s abuses of power in Washington, D.C. Koven demonstrates that administrative principles are at best an incomplete guide for public officials and that budgeters must learn to interpret signals from the political environment. |
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Contents
| 25 | |
Historical Antecedents of American | 47 |
Cultural | 75 |
Linkages among Culture Ideology | 111 |
Conclusions | 145 |
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administration American culture American political Arthur Laffer Barry behavior believed Boss Tweed budget outputs budgetary Bush Bush's capita expenditures capita spending capita taxes Cavaliers characterized citizens cognitive environment concept Congress conservatism culture and ideology Democratic differ by political District of Columbia dominant economic Elazar elected England federal fiscal governor groups higher Hypothesis Number identified income taxes individual individualistic culture influence interest on debt jurisdictions Keynes Koven Laffer Laffer Curve leaders levels Locke Locke's Marion Barry mayor ment migration moralistic nomic patterns percent personal gain perspective political culture political ideology politicians President Clinton programs proportions of total public-sector Puritan rates rational-legal authority Reagan reform represented Republican revenue Ronald Reagan Sharon Pratt Kelly social society spending priorities Standard & Poor's strategies taxing and spending Texas Tiebout model tion total spending traditionalistic ture Tweed Tweed Ring values Virginia Washington welfare
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Page 29 - By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
Page 46 - For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us.
Page 29 - Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a less folly to abolish liberty which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.
Page 64 - Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production ; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer. The maxim is so perfectly self-evident, that it would be absurd to attempt to prove it. But in the mercantile system, the interest of the consumer is almost constantly sacrificed to that of the producer ; and it seems to consider production, and not consumption, as the ultimate end and object of all industry and...
Page 19 - It is a partnership in all science ; a partnership in all art ; a partnership in every virtue, and in all perfection. As the ends of such a partnership cannot be obtained in many generations, it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.
Page 65 - ... led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it.
Page 29 - If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.
Page 47 - That a man might sell as dear as he can, and buy as cheap as he can. 2. If a man lose by casualty of sea, etc., in some of his commodities, he may raise the price of the rest. 3. That he may sell as he bought, though he paid too dear, etc., and though the commodity be fallen, etc.
Page 66 - ... the duty of protecting the society from the violence and invasion of other independent societies; secondly, the duty of protecting, as far as possible, every member of the society from the injustice or oppression of every other member of it...
Page 27 - But since gold and silver, being little useful to the life of man, in proportion to food, raiment, and carriage, has its value only from the consent of men, whereof labour yet makes in great part the measure, it is plain that the consent of men have agreed to a disproportionate and unequal possession of the earth...