Why do governments find it so hard to control public expenditure

Why do governments find it so hard to control public expenditure?         Since the 1970's rising public expenditure has become a politically salient issue, with the focus being on the difficulties experienced in trying to control it. In order to answer a question concerning why governments find it hard to control public expenditure it is first necessary to look at the reasons for the growth in public spending. There are three approaches which attempt to give …

…well as the governments apparent inability to contain expenditure or to off-load it, seem to me to illustrate the reasons why governments find it so hard to control public expenditure. Bibliography A Harrison (1989) 'The Control of Public Expenditure 1979-89' A Jordan & J Richardson (1987) 'British Politics and the Policy Process' ch. 9 L Pliatsky (1989) 'The Treasury Under Mrs Thatcher' A Wildavsky (1985) 'The logic of public sector growth' in J- E Lane (ed) State and Market