Budgeting, Auditing, and Evaluation

Description

"An effort to study these three functions simultaneously is unique . . . . The editors offer empirical and theoretical conclusions regarding linkage of the three functions in different nations, and suggest conditions under which integration might be facilitated."-Choice

"All the country studies are well-written and insightful. They do not lose the reader in a mass of detail but trace institutional developments and discuss the issues clearly and critically. They do not gloss over problems, and their research underlines the importance not only of producing relevant information but also ensuring its use, demanding the cooperation and understanding of a wide variety of institutions each of which has its own culture, incentive, and preoccupations.... This book, whose brief country studies summarize a wealth of information and whose analysis contributes to defining the field, is an excellent place to start."-Public Budgeting & Finance

As governments the world over work to sustain public policy and develop much needed policy initiatives, there is increasing need for better budgetary management and sound evaluation of both past and prospective policies. Budgeting, Auditing, and Evaluation presents in-depth, comparative examinations of budgetary processes in seven major Western governments (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Spain, Sweden, and Finland). Contributors focus specifically on the important links between budgeting, auditing, and policy evaluation. The authors identify both commonalities and divergences and make comparative statements of the consequences of these for the policy process.

Andrew Gray and Bill Jenkins are respectively reader in public accountability and management and Reader in Public Policy and Management at the University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K. Their various publications include Administrative Politics in British Government. Bob Segsworth is associate professor of political science at Laurentian University, Canada and has published widely in Canadian Public Administration, Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, and the International Review of Administrative Sciences.