What characterizes "baseline budgeting"?

Baseline budgeting is characterized by adjusting current budget levels to account for inflation or changes in service demand. This approach takes the existing budget as a starting point and modifies it to reflect anticipated changes in costs or the volumes of services provided. This means that the baseline is essentially the current budget adjusted to maintain its purchasing power or to accommodate any necessary changes in service delivery.

By using baseline budgeting, organizations can ensure that their financial resources remain aligned with current requirements and economic conditions without starting from scratch each budget cycle. This method is particularly useful for planning purposes, as it helps to provide a realistic framework based on prior spending while still enabling flexibility to address new costs or needs that may arise.