POSC 389/489: Special Topics: The Battle of the Budget

This one-time course focuses on the major conflict in American politics today. Budgeting is where promises meet price tags and government decides who gets what, when and how. Federal budgeting involves Congress and the President in conflict over the Power of the Purse, the political parties representing different views of what kind of country this should be, and organized interests, from the elderly to the military to physicians, struggling to gain more or protect what they have. This course will cover the economic consequences of budget choices, the policy disputes, and the political forces that shape the results.