ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book includes a survey of the growth of federal domestic spending, an analysis of the causes of that growth, and a discussion of possible reasons these factors had so much less effect in calendar 1981 than in previous attempts to control the growth in spending. It explains how Congress controls the level of federal spending and how it legislated the domestic reductions of 1981. The book analyzes the size and distribution of the budget reductions. It discusses a frequently overlooked topic—the implementation of changes in budget policy through regulations. The book describes the programmatic and budgetary changes in forty budget accounts affecting state and local governments. It also includes the initial report of the field network evaluation study team on the effects of the 1981 changes in a sample of fourteen states and fourteen large cities within them.
