WILDAVSKY ON BUDGET REFORM

A large part of the literature on budgeting in the United States is co ncerned with reform. The goals of proposed reforms are couched in simi lar language - economy, efficiency, improvement, or just better budget ing.... However, any effective change in budgetary relationships must necessarily alter the outcomes of the budgetary process. Otherwise, wh y bother? Far from being a neutral matter of 'better budgeting,' propo sed reforms inevitably contain important implications for the politica l system, that is, the 'who gets what' of governmental decisions (Wild avsky, 1961: p. 186). ...budgeting is a subsystem of politics, not vis e versa - because of the current tendency to overload budgeting. As mu ch as I respect the importance of budgeting and the talents of budgete ers, to substitute budgeting for governing will not work (Wildavsky, 1 992b: p. 439).