Reconciling politics and budget analysis: The case of the Congressional Budget Office

The uneasy relationship between the professional policy analyst and the political budgetary process has encouraged some fascinating research into the need for more effectively bridging what is often a wide analyst-political decisionmaker communications gap. One of the most interesting examples of this uneasy relationship has been the Congressional Budget Office’s analytical contributions to the congressional budget process. The nature of this relationship can be better understood when it is viewed in terms of differing professional perspectives. The degree to which certain professional values can be maintained through organizational means will determine, in large measure, the direction and depth of legislative budgetary reform.