The politics of budgetary surplus

Bibliographic Information

The politics of budgetary surplus

Scott Brenton

Palgrave Macmillan, c2016

Other Title

The politics of budgetary surplus : ideology, economic governance and public management reform

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

This book probes the hollow rhetoric of debt, deficits and austerity. It explores the decisions of parties of the left which have attempted to deflect criticisms of economic mismanagement and gain trust by depoliticising the budget process and financial management with various rules, albeit with elements of discretion. The book argues that this is a perverse form of trust as it is premised on the belief that political leaders and the public sector cannot be trusted to make appropriate decisions given the economic circumstances of the time and need rules, but at the same time that they can be trusted to follow the rules. The book also explores parties of the right, which often advocate stricter rules and which tend to be the least effective. The book describes how few conservative governments have admirable records on sustained surpluses, given a propensity for unsustainable tax cuts, and the future opportunities this provides to advance a political program of deeper spending cuts.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The path towards surplus.- Chapter 2. Political strategies.- Chapter 3. Types of fiscal rules.- Chapter 4. Types of expenditure cuts.- Chapter 5. The effects on public management.- Chapter 6. The Global Financial Crisis and beyond.

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Details

  • NCID
    BB23319352
  • ISBN
    • 9781137585967
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    London
  • Pages/Volumes
    xv, 198 p.
  • Size
    22 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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