William A. Niskanen is chairman of the Cato Institute, a position he has held since 1985 following service on President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers. He was formerly professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley and UCLA and was an assistant director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Cato Institute is a large libertarian, non-profit public policy research foundation (think tank) headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institutes stated mission is to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and... The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a body within the Executive Office of the President of the United States which is tasked with coordinating United States Federal agencies. ...

Niskanen's most noted work is his Bureaucracy and Representative Government published in 1971, an important work in the field of public management and a strong challenge to the field of public administration in the spirit of Ludwig von Mises work. Public administration includes many routine concerns that are only distinct from private management in the goals advanced, the types of infrastructure used, and the scale. ... It has been suggested that public management be merged into this article or section. ... Ludwig von Mises Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (September 29, 1881 – October 10, 1973) was a notable economist and a major influence on the modern libertarian movement. ...

Niskanen received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. ...