<p><strong>Definition: </strong>A budget is a description of a financial plan. It is a list of estimates of revenues to and expenditures by an agent for a stated period of time. Normally a budget describes a period in the future, not the past.</p><h3>Terms related to Budgets:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-budget-line-1146040" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="1">Budget Line</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-budget-set-1146041" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="2">Budget Set</a></li><li>Balanced Budget</li></ul><h3>Resources on Budgets:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/budget-line-and-indifference-curve-practice-1146900" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="3">Budget Lines and Indifference Curves</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/why-government-deficits-grow-during-recessions-1147890" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="4">Why Do Government Budget Deficits Grow During Recessions?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/key-questions-about-the-us-budget-deficit-1147494" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" data-ordinal="5">U.S. Budget Deficit - Five Key Questions</a></li></ul><h3>Writing a Term Paper? Here are a few starting points for research on Budgets:</h3><p>Books on Budgets:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Economic-Effects-Government-Elhanan-Helpman/dp/026258090X" data-component="amazon" data-source="affiliate" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="6" rel="nofollow">Economic Effects of the Government Budget</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alleged-Budget-Surplus-Security-Economics/dp/0964850451" data-component="amazon" data-source="affiliate" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="7" rel="nofollow">Alleged Budget Surplus, Social Security, &amp; Voodoo Economics</a></li><li><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Economics-Government-Deficit-Superstar-Teachers/dp/1565851455" data-component="amazon" data-source="affiliate" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="8" rel="nofollow">Economics: Government, Budget, Deficit &amp; Trade Policy</a></p></li></ul><p>Journal Articles on Budgets:</p><ul><li><a href="https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jimfin/v10y1991isupplement1ps49-s72.html" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="9">Economic and political determinants of budget deficits in developing countries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/2006731" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="10">Equilibrium Political Budget Cycles</a></li><li><a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/1942668?seq&#61;1#page_scan_tab_contents" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="11">The Ricardian approach to budget deficits</a></li></ul>