New Directions in the Policymaking Process in a Decade of Transition

This article, which appeared in the GAO Review, Vol. 17, Issue 2, Spring 1982, outlines the main features of the old policymaking process, discusses the recent procedures used to develop the Reagan Economic Recovery Plan, and predicts how some of the elements in this process will change during this decade. Changes which are predicted include: (1) a shift to the use of multiple-year periods; (2) the increasing use of centralized, strategic-type policymaking; (3) clear policy choices on issues such as social security and major capital investments; (4) tight controls by Congress and the executive branch over the aggregate budget levels, individual programs, and program elements; (5) the extension of formal accountability to include some regular analysis and explanation of variances from the financial and operating plans; and (6) some change in leadership styles and methods.