The Politics of Public Expenditure

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Dedication......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Figures......Page 10
Tables......Page 11
Introduction......Page 12
APPROACHES TO POLITICS......Page 20
THE CONCEPT OF POLITICS......Page 21
POLITICS AND PUBLIC EXPENDITURE......Page 26
DEFINING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE......Page 30
The macro approach—the Treasury view of public expenditure......Page 32
The micro approach—a programme perspective......Page 34
THE PROBLEM OF MEASUREMENT......Page 39
CHANGES IN PUBLIC EXPENDITURE: THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT......Page 41
Trends in public expenditure since 1962......Page 43
Defence expenditure......Page 44
Education expenditure......Page 45
Roads and transport......Page 46
Law and order......Page 47
Health expenditure......Page 48
AN ATTEMPT TO MEASURE PUBLIC EXPENDITURE USING APPROPRIATE PRICE DEFLATORS......Page 51
Capital expenditure......Page 52
Transfers and subsidies......Page 53
CONCLUSIONS......Page 58
INTRODUCTION......Page 62
THE THEORY OF PUBLIC CHOICE......Page 64
The tax backlash......Page 72
THEORIES OF PLURALISM......Page 73
Theories of the capitalist state......Page 75
The State as an arena of political dominance......Page 77
The influence of professionals......Page 80
The influence of civil servants......Page 82
The influence of public sector trade unions......Page 85
INTRODUCTION......Page 88
CONSERVATISM AND THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY......Page 91
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN TRANSITION (1940–51)......Page 92
CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENTS AND PUBLIC EXPENDITURE......Page 96
CONCLUSIONS......Page 102
INTRODUCTION......Page 106
THE FUNDAMENTAL COLLECTIVIST APPROACH......Page 111
1935–40......Page 112
1940–45......Page 113
1945–51......Page 114
Arguments for nationalisation in the 1970s......Page 116
Labour’s social programmes......Page 117
THE SOCIALISM OF THE REVISIONISTS......Page 119
CONCLUSIONS......Page 121
INTRODUCTION......Page 124
The study of expenditure White Papers......Page 128
Capital expenditure......Page 130
Current expenditure......Page 131
Transfers and subsidies......Page 132
EXPLAINING THE GOVERNMENT’S RECORD......Page 133
The Keynesian influence......Page 134
The influence of Tripartitism......Page 138
CONCLUSIONS......Page 140
INTRODUCTION......Page 142
The study of expenditure White Papers......Page 145
Housing......Page 146
Education......Page 147
Health......Page 148
Trade and industry......Page 149
Transfers and subsidies......Page 150
EXPLAINING THE GOVERNMENT’S RECORD......Page 151
The concept of autonomy and political choice......Page 152
The concept of events......Page 154
Short-term shocks......Page 155
Long-term adjustment explanations......Page 157
CONCLUSIONS......Page 165
INTRODUCTION......Page 168
The Fundamentalist approach......Page 169
Reducing government spending and reducing taxation......Page 172
Less intervention in industry......Page 173
The sceptical approach......Page 174
The market liberals......Page 175
The politics of statecraft......Page 176
The index of expenditure White Papers......Page 177
Education......Page 178
Personal social services......Page 179
Social security......Page 180
Capital expenditure......Page 181
Current expenditure......Page 182
The impact of pledges made before the election......Page 183
Resistance within the Cabinet......Page 185
Constraints on the Government......Page 189
CONCLUSIONS......Page 191
INTRODUCTION......Page 194
The politics of the electoral business cycle......Page 198
The politics of the March 1983 Budget......Page 199
The 1984 Budget......Page 202
The 1985 Budget......Page 204
The June 1987 election......Page 205
THE RECORD ON PUBLIC EXPENDITURE 1979–90......Page 210
The record on aggregate expenditures......Page 211
Total current expenditure 1979–90......Page 213
Government capital formation......Page 214
Transfer payments......Page 216
CONCLUSIONS......Page 218
INTRODUCTION......Page 224
The emphasis on continuity......Page 225
The re-emergence of a politics of public expenditure and the Autumn Statement of November 1990......Page 226
The break with the past and the Autumn Statement of 1991......Page 230
POLITICS AND THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN THE 1990s......Page 232
THE UK ECONOMIC RECESSION SINCE 1990......Page 237
The problem of consumer confidence......Page 238
The UK system of industrial relations......Page 239
THE EMERGING POLITICAL CONSENSUS AND THE 1990s......Page 241
CONCLUSIONS......Page 243
INTRODUCTION: THE AFTERMATH OF THE 1992 ELECTION......Page 248
THE BREAK WITH KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS......Page 251
THE BREAK WITH POLITICAL PARALYSIS AND PLURALIST STAGNATION......Page 253
THE POLITICAL DILEMMAS OF CHANGE AND CONTINUITY......Page 254
THE PROCESSES OF CONSTRAINTS AND POLITICAL AUTONOMY......Page 255
THE NEW POLITICS OF INDIVIDUAL CITIZENSHIP......Page 258
THE BREAK WITH THE POLITICS OF CONSENT AND FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY......Page 259
THE POLITICS OF THE STRONG STATE AND INDIVIDUAL CITIZENSHIP......Page 261
Commitments to the classless society......Page 262
Private affluence and public squalor......Page 263
References......Page 266
Index......Page 280