Choose a public program at the federal, state, or local level that has recently undergone a significant budgetary change, and have your instructor approve your choice.
For example, suppose a state cut funding for a domestic violence program. What possible changes in public policy and the political process could have led to this decision? What will be its result? Another example: federal and state activists have recommended cuts for prison funding to reduce overcrowding. How might this reduction in funding impact the maintenance of state and federal prisons? How might it effect the mental health treatment of prisoners? How might this reduction in funding effect the recidivism rate among prisoners released?
Prepare a 1,700-words to 2,400-word paper, about how the political process and changing public policy at the federal, state, and municipal levels, influence budgeting.
Provide details on how the change came about and its impact on the resulting program. Include the following in your paper:
Identify political, economic, social, and cultural influences that caused the change in the budget.
Identify the interaction among the federal, state, and municipal levels with regard to your program.
Specify the limits of the agency budget office and how they may try to compensate for those limits.
What strategies might agencies and politicians use to justify increasing or decreasing the budget for the program you selected.
Calculate present and project future costs.
List various cost control applications
Format your paper according to APA standards.