Robert Bifulco

This lecture notes provides an overview of budgeting and financial management in the public and non-profit sectors. Fundamental concepts and practices of budgeting, financial management and public finance are introduced, with special emphasis on state and local government budgeting and financial management in the United States. The objectives of courses in Public Budgeting and this title are to teach the basic concepts and nomenclature of public finance, to develop an understanding of budget processes as well as the sources and uses of public revenues, and to make relatively simple, but useful computations in an intelligent way. Key course learning outcomes include the abilities to:

• explain and assess key elements of government budgeting processes;
• apply concepts of cost accounting and analysis to understand agency expenditure needs;
• design and produce a flexible budget for a government agency; and
• apply concepts and measures of efficiency, equity, and adequacy to the evaluation of government revenue policies.

There are no indispensable pre-requisites by the reader, and it has been designed for students from a wide variety of backgrounds and undergraduate majors. Although this works well as an introductory text to a broader public administration curriculum, it also can make sense for students to take after some more basic courses in economics, policy analysis, and public organizations. Issues of tax incidence and the effect of taxes on economic efficiency can be covered in greater depth.

Contents:

• Foreword
• Preface
• About the Author
• Introduction to Budgeting and Public Finance
• The Basics of Budget Preparation
• The Use of Cost Accounting to Improve Budgeting
• Getting Control of Your Budget: The Use of Cost Analysis in Budgeting
• Budget Review and Approval
• Federal Budgeting Process
• Budget Execution and Control
• Capital Budgeting and Debt Management
• Revenue Forecasting and Evaluation Criteria
• Consumption Taxes
• Local Property Taxes
• User Fees and Charges
• State Government Lotteries

Readership: Undergraduates and postgraduates taking courses in public administration, policy studies, tax studies, and microeconomics.
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