The impact of institutional change on forecast accuracy: A case study of budget forecasting in Washington State

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between institutional change and forecast accuracy via an analysis of the entitlement caseload forecasting process in Washington State. This research extends the politics of forecasting literature beyond the current area of government revenue forecasting to include expenditure forecasting and introduces an in-depth longitudinal study to the existing set of cross-sectional studies. Employing a fixed-effects model and ordinary least squares regression analysis, this paper concludes that the establishment of an independent forecasting agency and subsequent formation of technical workgroups improve forecast accuracy. Additionally, this study finds that more frequent forecast revisions and structured domain knowledge improve forecast accuracy.