Appropriation

Appropriation, legislative action authorizing the expenditure of public funds for some designated purpose. Through the power to allocate funds, a legislature can influence the course of government. By relying on this “power of the purse”, for example, the British Parliament was gradually able to wrest control of the government from the monarch. Although legislatures retain control over appropriations, executive officials are generally granted substantial discretion over expenditure of funds. The result in many cases has been sharp clashes between the legislative and executive branches, producing additional restrictions and limitations by the legislative body.