The question of public expenditure has proved to be one of the perennial problems for British Governments. Given forecasts of low growth and record levels of unemployment, the present Government could be faced with dilemmas of greater magnititude than ever. This new edition of Maurice Mullard's book has been carefully revised to provide students with an accessible text. It is principally concerned with explaining the political contexts in which public expenditure decisions have had to be made over the last twenty years. It examines the way in which Governments make choices according to public pressure and the fact that bargains and compromises have to be made in order to maintain political credibility.Maurice Mullard provides examples of the way in which Government policy and individual expenditure programmes have been shaped according to the political climate. The text combines theoretical framworks with policy analysis. This edition contains new chapters on Conservative and Labour politics and a section on John Major's government.

`The author provides a very comprehensive study of the changing attitude to the role of Public Expenditure which occurred during the 1970s ... very well researched and full of quotes from relevant documents and individuals. There is also considerable use of statistical and graphical data to illustrate the arguments in the text ... a worthwhile addition to a Politics or Economics reference library.' - Teaching Politics

`Packed full of interesting material' - Parliamentary Affairs

Maurice Mullard has been involved in the study of public policy and the interface of politics and economics since the early 1980s. He has been published extensively and is the author of Understanding Economic Policy.