Rowman & Littlefield Publishers The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management: A Handbook for Academics and Practitioners

Connecting budgetary theory with practical tools, Charles E. Menifield carefully examines the key areas that every budgeting and financial management student needs to know in order to be a successful budgeteer in a local government, nonprofit, or state-level budget office. From the perspective of a bureaucrat, students examine various concepts and then work through in-class and out-of-class exercises and problems to reinforce those concepts and ideas through practical applications. Menifield provides an overview of the basic budgeting concepts, types, and techniques to orient students, along with discussion of budget cycles and the actors involved in the process. Chapters unfold to present personal services, operating, and capital budgets, as well as the various ways to fund public budgets. Students will gain an understanding of budgeting techniques and analytical models, but also how these methods are useful in answering important policy questions. Other topics include cash management, risk management, procurement, debt management, incentivizing economic development, and cutback management strategies. Menifield concludes with an examination of different data sources, data quality and appropriateness, and the different ways to communicate budget data effectively using charts, graphs, and slides.