How negotiation delays affect policy decisions: evidence from the budgetary process

Intensified by today’s increasingly contentious political environment, delays often occur in the policy-making process. This paper applies the time pressure theory to study how budget deadlines and delays affect appropriation outcomes. Using a panel dataset comprising 108 appropriation bills from New York State in the USA for the period 1984–2012, the authors found that, while having deadlines is procedural and symbolic, the extent of lateness matters, and delays generally increase incrementalism in appropriation outcomes. Compared with proposed appropriations, a delayed budget shows a more concentrated allocation pattern that favours funding for capital projects and aid for localities.