Take your Government Budgeting and Politics course online today!
Home / FAQs / Online Degrees / Certificate Courses / Admission Policies / Class Rooms / Request Info.

Canyon College



COURSE SYLLABUS: Government Budgeting and Politics

Course Title: Department: Instructor:

PS337 - Government Budgeting and Politics Political Science Sheree Nelson MPA, MA, BS  E-Mail - Vitae

Course Description:

Creating a budget is not one of the areas that most families look forward to or enjoy. It is often a difficult process that involves heated debates, prioritizing, compromising, sacrificing, and, hopefully, an acceptable resolution for all affected persons. On the federal level, where the interests of millions of people are concerned, trillions of dollars are at stake, elections are imminent, political parties have different agendas, and large portions of the budget aren’t even negotiable, one can only imagine the tension that looms in the halls of the White House and on Capital Hill when a budget is being either prepared or reviewed. Most people have no idea what is entailed in achieving a government budget, and, until 1995-96 when the government shut down because a budget couldn’t be achieved, many people took the budgeting process for granted, never having realized that the President and Congress might hold so firmly to their convictions that a shutdown would occur.

There are myriad issues to consider when attempting to comprehend the government budget process. It’s also important to recognize that political factors, key players, and current affairs have an impact on the budget process and outcome that differs from year to year. For many people, the federal budget is an ominous entity that they’d rather never think about. However, a careful review of the various stages that lead to the adoption of a federal budget will reveal the importance of each step of the process; the value of the various perspectives of different political parties, the two Houses of Congress, and the President; and the evolution of the budget process from 1789 to now that usually results in the establishment of priorities and programs that the government deems necessary for the times. For the student of political science, studying the government budget process can provide a solid basis for understanding how the gears in Washington grind and how it is impossible to separate process and politics.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you should:

1. Be able to identify the stages of the government budget process.
2. Recognize the various political factors that influence the budgeting process.
3. Understand the Resolution, Reconciliation, and Appropriations processes.
4. Be familiar with the distinct roles of the Executive and the Legislative Branches to formulate and approve the federal budget.
5. Be aware of the complex rules and procedures that influence government policies and financial outcomes.
6. Realize the impact of budget rules on policy decisions.
7. Know the “Language” of the federal budget.
8. Be able to interpret the various documents that comprise the federal budget.

Required Text: Online Bookstore

Allen Schick. The Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, Process , Brookings Institution, 2000.
ISBN #: 0-8157-7725-6

Stanley E. Collender. The Guide to the Federal Budget , Brookings Institution, 1999.
ISBN #: 0-87078-434-X

Assignment and Examination Schedule:

Week One:
Read:
Allen Schick Chapter 1: Conflict and Resolution in Federal Budgeting
Chapter 2: The Evolution of Federal Budgeting: From Surplus to Deficit to Surplus
Stanley E. Collender
Chapter 1: The Federal Budget as a Second Language
Chapter 2: Overview: The Federal Budget Process in Brief

Submit:
1. An outline of Schick Chapters 1 and 2
2. One to two paragraphs for each of Collender’s Chapters 1 and 2 with your opinions about what you’ve read.

Week Two:
Read:
Allen Schick Chapter 3: The Budget’s Shifting Boundries
Chapter 4: The Political Rules and Arithmetic of Budgeting
Stanley E. Collender
Chapter 1: The Federal Budget as a Second Language
Chapter 2: Overview: The Federal Budget Process in Brief

Submit:
1. An outline of Schick Chapters 3 and 4

Week Three:
Read:
Allen Schick Chapter 5: The President’s Budget
Chapter 6: The Congressional Budget Proces
Stanley E. Collender
Chapter 3: Stage One: The President’s Budget
Chapter 4: Stage Two: The Congressional Budget Resolution and Reconciliation

Submit:
1. An outline of Schick Chapters 5 and 6
2. One to two paragraphs for each of Collender’s Chapters 3 and 4 with your opinions about what you’ve read.

Week Four:

Term Paper Topic Submitted for Approval!

Midterm Exam!!!!!!!

Week Five:
Read:
Allen Schick Chapter 7: Revenue Legislation
Chapter 8: Authorizing Legislation
Chapter 9: The Appropriations Process
Stanley E. Collender
Chapter 5: Stage Three: Authorizations and Appropriations
Chapter 6: Stage Four: Sequestration

Submit:
1. An outline of Schick Chapters 7, 8, and 9
2. One to two paragraphs for each of Collender’s Chapters 5 and 6 with your opinions about what you’ve read.

Week Six:
Read:
Allen Schick Chapter 10: Managing Federal Expenditures
Chapter 11: The Self-Correcting Budget Process
Stanley E. Collender
Chapter 7: Impoundments (This is only a four-page chapter!)

Submit:
1. An outline of Schick Chapters 10 and 11
2. One to two paragraphs for Collender’s Chapter 7 with your opinions about what you’ve read.

Week Seven:
Read:
Stanley E. Collender
Chapter 8: How to Read and Use the Federal Budget


Submit:
1. One to two paragraphs for Collender’s Chapter 8 with your opinions about what you’ve read.

Term Paper Due!!! Week Eight:

Final Exam

Grading:

Weekly Assignments: Midterm Examination: Term Paper: Final Examination:

20% 30% 10% 40%