The Treasury and Whitehall The Planning and Control of Public Expenditure, 1976-1993

by Thain, Colin; Wright, Maurice

• ISBN13: 9780198277842
• ISBN10: 0198277849
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1995-12-14
• Publisher: Clarendon Press

Summary

With unique access to treasury Expenditure Controllers and senior financial officials in the main spending departments, the authors of this work provide a detailed and authoritative account of the roles, relationships, and inter-actions of the key players in Whitehall Expenditure Community as they confront each other in annual rituals of the Expenditure "Survey". Thain and Wright explain how the rules of the expenditure game were re-drawn in the 1980s in the relentless search for cuts, greater economy and efficiency in the design and delivery of public services, and the creation of a more enterprising administrative culture.

Author Biography

Colin Thain is Professor of Comparative Public Policy and Administration at the University of Ulster.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
Abbreviations
Introduction	p. 1
The Politico-Economic Context	p. 13
The Origins and Development of the System of Planning and Control	p. 31
The Treasury and FMI	p. 57
The Advent and Impact of 'Next Steps'	p. 71
The Structure and Organization of the Treasury	p. 85
Making and Co-ordinating Expenditure Policy	p. 107
The Whitehall Spending Departments	p. 141
The Whitehall Expenditure Policy Network	p. 166
Managing the Relationships: Negotiated Discretion	p. 199
Determining the Priorities of Public Spending	p. 227
The Public Expenditure Survey	p. 254
Collective Responsibility: The Cabinet, 'Star Chamber', and EDX	p. 294
The Territorial Dimension	p. 307
In-Year Control	p. 331
The Reserve	p. 341
The Operation and Effects of Cash Limits	p. 352
Running Costs, Pay, and Manpower Controls	p. 373
End-Year Flexibility	p. 403
Objectives and Achievements	p. 421
Departmental 'Winners' and 'Losers'	p. 441
The Effects and Effectiveness of the PES System	p. 459
Controlling Public Expenditure	p. 482
Central Control and Departmental Autonomy	p. 500
Controlling Public Expenditure More Effectively?	p. 520
References	p. 552
Index	p. 571
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