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The political policy cycle: Presidential effort vs. presidential control

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  • Janet Pack

Abstract

After disentangling presidential budget proposals from budgetary changes attributable to fluctuations in the economy and to congressional action, we find consistent evidence for a presidential macroeconomic policy cycle attuned to the elctoral cycle. Proposed budgets are more expansionary in election years than at other times. The Congress, however, also plays a significant role in determining fiscal outcomes. Its budgets are systematically related to those of the President and in general reinforce presidential efforts to respond to the electoral cycle. Although Presidents generally propose quite conservative budgets, their proposals are more expansionary in presidential election years than in other years. The Congress, which generally adopts an expansionary fiscal policy ratifies this proposed macroeconomic policy electoral cycle by adopting even more expansionary budgets in presidential election years than they do at other times. Copyright Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 1987

Suggested Citation

  • Janet Pack, 1987. "The political policy cycle: Presidential effort vs. presidential control," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 231-259, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:54:y:1987:i:3:p:231-259
    DOI: 10.1007/BF00125648
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    1. repec:bla:scandj:v:98:y:1996:i:2:p:203-18 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Andreas Andrikopoulos & Ioannis Loizides & Kyprianos Prodromidis, 2006. "Taxation and political business cycles in EU economies," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(15), pages 1761-1774.
    3. Mounts, Wm. Jr. & Sowell, Clifford, 1995. "A statistical note on possible institutional regimes in budget policy," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 149-160.
    4. Boyes, William J. & Mounts, WM. Jr. & Sowell, Clifford & Payne, James E., 1996. "All politics is local: The effect of fiscal and monetary constitutions on economic policy," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 657-678.
    5. Rui Nuno Baleiras & Vasco Santos, 2003. "On the Likelihood and Welfare Effects of “Stop–and–go” Policies," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 5(1), pages 121-133, January.
    6. Dimitris K. Christopoulos & John Loizides & Efthymios G. Tsionas, 2009. "Electoral Motives, Partisan Motives And Dynamic Optimality With Many Taxes: An International Investigation," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 56(1), pages 94-113, February.
    7. Andrikopoulos, Andreas & Loizides, Ioannis & Prodromidis, Kyprianos, 2004. "Fiscal policy and political business cycles in the EU," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 125-152, March.
    8. Janet Pack, 1988. "The Congress and fiscal policy," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 101-122, August.
    9. Peter J. Boettke & Daniel J. Smith, 2016. "Evolving views on monetary policy in the thought of Hayek, Friedman, and Buchanan," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 29(4), pages 351-370, December.

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