Whatever expenditure is sanctioned - even when it is sanctioned against the ministry's wish - the ministry must find the money. Accordingly, they have the strongest motive to oppose extra outlay.... The ministry is (so to speak) the breadwinner of the political family, and has to meet the cost of philanthropy and glory; just as the head of a family has to pay for the charities of his wife and the toilette of his daughters.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Ministries must fund all authorized expenditures even if they disagree with them, acting as the financial providers for the political family.
- In plain terms
- Ministers must find money for things they did not ask for.
- What can you take from it?
- Executive branches bear financial responsibility for all state expenditures.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who pays when ministers disagree?
- Is public funding always voluntary?
Another view
Ministries may try to hide costs if they oppose them.
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