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Budgeting Theory
Federal Budgeting Theories
17
Political Studies
Post-Graduate
07/20/2021

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Cards

Term
What are the managerial and political functions of the federal budget?
Definition
-tools of coordination & control
-agenda setting/policy making
-for Congress = purpose & power
-tool of foreign policy
-to influence economy
Term
What are the systems of budgeting?
Definition
  • object of expense (what will be bought)
  • incremental budget (takes the last budget submitted, determines if it was sufficient, insufficient, or excessive and adjusts accordingly)
  • zero-based budget - examines the core amount and determines if a program should be funded
  • program budget - goals are set and budgets are aligned to meet those goals
  • performance-based - ties activities to goals and measures outcomes and efficacy of those outcomes in meeting goals
Term
What are the techniques of budgeting?
Definition
  • open-ended
  • fixed-ceiling
  • cost benefit analysis
  • priority listing
  • prioritized, relative-benefit
  • unit costing
  • across the board
Term
What are public budgeting theories?
Definition
  • policy making
  • public finance
  • incrementalism
  • muddling through & bounded rationalities
  • punctuated equilibrium
  • multiple rationalities
Term
What are the characteristics of effective budgeting?
Definition
  1. comprehensiveness and discipline
  2. predictable
  3. legitimate (those allocating the budget should consider those implementing/executing the budget/program
  4. contestable decisions (by those served by programs)
  5. flexible
  6. accountability/transparency
  7. honest information
Term
Open-ended Technique
Definition
list all requirements for agency and how much it would cost with no regards to an upper limit
Term
Fixed-ceiling Technique
Definition
Upper limit is set and agency builds their budget to fit within that amount
Term
Cost-benefit analysis Technique
Definition
cost vs. goals (higher the benefit, the more funding it receives)
Term
Priority listing Technique
Definition
requirements prioritized until funding runs out (a line is drawn), everything above the line gets funded, everything below the line does not
Term
Prioritized-relative benefit Technique
Definition
rank multiple priority lists for unrelated goals (i.e. CDC and weapons)
Term
Unit-costing Technique
Definition
how many units can a given amount provide (i.e. cost to educate a student)
Term
Across the board Technique
Definition
decrement or increment funds in an even spread
Term
Public Finance Theory
Definition
Social wants - spending the funds on what the public wants
Term
Incrementalism Theory
Definition
budgets are fixed and gradually increase year to year (repetitive process)
Term
Muddling Through & Bounded Rationalities Theory
Definition
clarify values and objectives THEN apply the means
Term
Punctuated Equilibrium Theory
Definition
politicians etc. produce incremental budgets but eventually opposing sides will force the budget back towards cancelling each other out, mistakes are corrected over time, etc. to crease stability in the overall budget. Also, when both sides agree due to a big event, you will see spikes in the budget
Term
Multiple Rationalities Theory
Definition
Everyone in the stage of the budget process acts rationally according to their role in the current stage of the process.

The budget is non-linear and based on real-time decision.
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