The Congressional Budget Office : honest numbers, power, and policymaking / Philip G. Joyce.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Joyce, Philip G., 1956-

Series:

American governance and public policy

American governance and public policy series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Congressional Budget Office.

United States.

Budget--United States.

Budget.

Physical Description:

xiv, 250 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Washington D.C. : Georgetown University Press, [2011]

Summary:

Since its creation in 1974, the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has impacted the economic and budgetary effects of Congressional policies. This book examines the role of the CBO in public policy and in individual legislation. Joyce (public policy, U. of Maryland) chronicles how the CBO's directors have led the agency, but the book is not just a history of the CBO; it also emphasizes the importance of analysis in helping to frame political debate. The book begins by presenting the historical and institutional context of the CBO, then focuses on the CBO's three main responsibilities: support of the macrobudgetary decisions of Congress; providing cost estimates of legislative proposals and keeping budgetary score of legislation in Congress; and performing broader and longer-term policy analyses. Two comparative case studies demonstrate these responsibilities: the Clinton health care reform proposal in 1993 and 1994, and President Obama's 2009 health care reform proposal. A final chapter draws conclusions from the historical experiences of the CBO. Analysis relies on two main sources of data: archival research, especially newspaper and magazine sources, and interviews with about 60 people active in the CBO, Congress, and the executive branch. Joyce has worked with the US Congressional Budget Office; he is now a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Truth, power and consequences

Creating and sustaining CBO organizing for nonpartisan analysis

CBO and macrobudgeting

CBO and microbudgeting

CBO and policy analysis

The Clinton health plan : a case study in bringing it all together

The Obama health care reform

The Congressional Budget Office : an excellent skunk?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781589017573

1589017579

OCLC:

648934573