Transcript Budget Simulation

Budget Simulation
• Spending department memos to be reviewed by Premier and Minister of
Finance over the weekend. Minister and DM of Finance prepare
evaluation of proposals and recommendations to distribute at beginning
of simulation on Tuesday March 3.
• Premier to chair meeting to discuss proposals on Tuesday, March 3.
Ministers sit at cabinet table and DMs behind them. DMs may speak on
factual but not policy issues, if asked by their minister. (Note: students
who have not yet made presentations in class should play role of minister.)
• Premier and chief of staff to prepare memo recording the decisions taken
and rationale, due to Prof. Borins at the end of the day Friday March 6.
• Professor Borins will present a debrief of the simulation in class on March
10.
Class of February 24
• Mid-terms returned and discussed
• Preparation for budget exercise (question and
answer)
• Watch The Thick of It
Mid-term
Grades: mid-term out of 50, average 36
40-50 (As): 7
30-40 (B+ B-/C+): 15
27-30 (C+): 4
Questions where people had trouble:
4. Politics is winner-take-all, going negative works, going negative
distracts voters and media from your own failings
8. Operations Committee: day-to-day coordination of
government’s agenda incl. issues mgt., legislation and house
planning, communications, house planning essential in a
minority government
Mid-term
9. Only 1 point
10. Minister should focus on politics (contact with electorate)
rather than details of administration
11. i) ongoing provision of public service, policy advice to the
new government, whatever party it is
12. Ritz must see that his officials fix the problem but he is not
expected to resign
13. A cabinet of generalists in Canada, specialists in the US,
ministers are moved here, department secretaries almost
never moved
15. The economy has grown, so that debt/GDP ratio still smaller,
debt service is smaller % of gov’t spending
Mid-Term
17. gov’t revenues won’t increase, spending will have to increase
to stimulate economy
18. PMO: political strategy, issues management,
communications, time-tabling, communications, constituency
relations, senior appointments; PCO: secretariat to cabinet,
policy analysis, coordination of the public service
20. Current opposition MPs may become ministers and they will
be suspicious of public servants who were too supportive of
the previous government.
21. Politicians do oversight and public servants do analysis,
planning, implementation. Public servants not hard to staff:
high flyers on loan, or sometimes recruited from outside.
Want to be where they can be seen.
Class of March 3
Budget Simulation
• Simulation in Room 324
• Spending department memos to be e-mailed to me
and to central agencies (PM, adviser, Minister and
DM of Finance by 5 pm on Friday, February 27)
• Email addresses:
06kotakr@utsc, [email protected],
dayna_lise@hotmail,com,
[email protected],borins@utsc