Budgetary Politics

In a purely national context, the budget represents the main instrument through which a government can implement its policies. The size and character of the budget reflect the underlying political, social and economic values of the country concerned. Students need only look to the European Union (formerly European Community (EC)) Budget to survey the progress made in forging common policies and to catalogue the difficulties that can limit rapid integration. Originally published in 1980, this study explains how the EC Budget developed in the 20th century and why it remained so rudimentary. Both national and community institutions are locked into the complex problems of jointly managing substantial financial resources. There have been awkward political dilemmas over the allocation of money to particular sectors and over its distribution to individual member states, some of which are wealthier than others. This generated acute political disagreements about financing and contributions, notably between the UK and European partners. Budgetary Politics provides a comprehensive survey of the background to these problems and explores their implications. It remains a key work for students of the history, politics and economics of the European Union, the policy process, public finance and integration and international relations.