Why do governments find it so hard to control public expenditure

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…well as the governments apparent inability to contain expenditure or to off-load it, seem to me to illustrate the reasons why governments find it so hard to control public expenditure. Bibliography A Harrison (1989) 'The Control of Public Expenditure 1979-89' A Jordan & J Richardson (1987) 'British Politics and the Policy Process' ch. 9 L Pliatsky (1989) 'The Treasury Under Mrs Thatcher' A Wildavsky (1985) 'The logic of public sector growth' in J- E Lane (ed) State and Market