The Governmental Budget: Do Politics Influence the Outcome of the Governmental Budgeting Process

Abstract

This paper will attempt to answer a common question that has been asked of me, in my elected official capacity, on more than one occasion, by undergrad interns from several local universities. Do politics influence the outcome of the governmental budgeting process? To answer this question, this document will explore a governmental budget, the budgeting process, its actors, the political environment of governmental budgeting, and some recommendations to reduce the level of politics.

There is no shortage of information on the governmental budgeting process, the politics involved, and the types and approaches to budgeting, yet; in this paper, I will focus only on the fundamental form of budgeting. Furthermore, this paper is not meant to be an end-all source. It is very general and should be viewed in the context of other sources.

Keywords: budgeting, politics, public administration, public finance, government