Re-Presenting Government and Representing the People : Budget Publicity and Citizenship in New York City, 1908-1911

Governmental budget systems do not only allocate public resources, they also influence the way in which people interact with their government and conceive of their role as citizens. The contemporary politics of budget making tends to mask this influence. As originally conceived, however, public budgets in America were meant to serve as a tool to reshape democratic citizenship. This article explores the history of governmental budget reform and the impounding effect on citizens from before the twentieth century. The author highlights publicity and political discourse surrounding the topic as well as governmental advertisements