Policy Formulation and the Budget Process

Abstract

The budget should be regarded as one of the government’s most important policy documents. Ideally the budget process should facilitate this policy role in all phases of the budget cycle. This chapter argues, however, that budget systems often fail to successfully fulfill this important function for two main reasons: flaws in the way they are designed and flaws in the way they are operated. Unfortunately, both drawbacks tend to be prevalent in countries that operate traditional budgeting systems, focused mainly on financial compliance rather than policy delivery.