The change in climate of opinion and attitude toward higher education and the structural and political context within which it seeks support are considered with attention directed to state staffs. Studies have indicated that higher education has reached a new low in terms of priority among state services and that little long-range comprehensive…

Trends in state budgeting agencies' staffs, roles, functions and relative power, interagency relationships and relative power, and the effects of professional staffing on budget policy and on democratic practice and decision-making are considered. The following three types of legislative staffs that impinge directly on budget decisions are…