Budget repair or budget spectacle? The passage of Wisconsin's Act 10. Issue 7 (9th November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pernsteiner, Aimee; Becker, D'Arcy; Fish, Matthew; Miller, William F.; Drum, Dawna
• Is Part Of: Public money & management. Volume 36:Issue 7(2016)
• Page Start: 507
• Page End: 514
• Publication Date: 2016-11-09
• Subjects: Collective bargaining -- government budget -- political spectacle -- Wisconsin Act 10; Finance, Public -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Great Britain -- Economic policy -- 1945-1964 -- Periodicals; 336.005
• DOI: 10.1080/09540962.2016.1237144
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-0962

Abstract

Abstract : Strategic planning processes use budgets to implement control and accountability. However, budgets can also be used to generate support for strategic decisions, for example by creating a political spectacle. A political spectacle is a problem engineered to have a specific political impact. This paper investigates politicians' use of a state budget as a political manoeuvre to defend strategic decisions regarding public employee unions in Wisconsin. The analysis shows how the 2011 state budget in Wisconsin was used to create a political spectacle to generate support for eliminating collective bargaining for public workers, especially public (state) school teachers.