Local Government Budgeting: A Managerial Approach

✍ Scribed by Gerasimos A. Gianakis, Clifford P. McCue

• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 208
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In an effort to bridge the gap between budget theorists and practitioners, this book approaches local government budgeting as the internal resource allocation process of a highly differentiated organization that operates in a very political environment, and whose boundaries are particularly permeable during the formal budget process. Written by academics with extensive practical experience in local government budgeting and finance, this text will be equally useful to practitioners, scholars and students. Theory building in public budgeting has been dominated by political science and economics, and these approaches have not produced theories that can serve as guides to action for practitioners or help them understand their action environments. In order to produce theory that has meaning for practitioners, researchers should approach the subject as it is experienced by practitioners. The long-term financial health of local governments requires an integrated approach to public budgeting. This book develops theory that illuminates practice. It recognizes that the budget process is the only organization-wide process that integrates all of the agencies that comprise the government, and thus, the budget must address the long-term consequences of any action. The budget process itself is presented as a vehicle to develop the decision premises and organizational values that will support allocative efficiency and productivity.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 12
1. The Environment of Local Government Budgeting......Page 20
Federal, State and Local Government Budgeting......Page 22
Organization-Based Budgeting Components......Page 25
The Intergovernmental Environment......Page 31
Managerial Issues......Page 33
2. Budget Formats......Page 38
Line-Item Budgets......Page 40
Program Budgeting......Page 42
Performance Budgets......Page 44
The Zero-Base Budget Process......Page 46
Results-Oriented Budgeting......Page 49
The Centrality of the Revenue Constraint......Page 51
Budgeting as Organizational Development......Page 52
Managerial Issues......Page 55
3. Budget Execution......Page 58
The Fund Structure of Local Governments......Page 59
Accounting and Financial Reporting......Page 62
Budgetary Controls......Page 64
Financial Controls......Page 66
Purchasing Controls......Page 68
Service Managers and Budget Execution......Page 69
Managerial Issues......Page 72
4. Budgeting for Productivity......Page 76
Definitions of Productivity......Page 78
Measuring Local Government Services......Page 79
The Context of Local Government Productivity......Page 84
Allocative and Technological Efficiency......Page 88
Integrating Productivity and Budgeting......Page 90
Managerial Issues......Page 93
5. Analytical Techniques......Page 100
Forecasting......Page 101
Program Evaluation......Page 105
Benefit-Cost Analysis......Page 107
Data Envelopment Analysis......Page 111
Costing Local Government Services......Page 113
Managerial Issues......Page 116
Revenue Management......Page 120
Local Government Revenue Structures......Page 122
Selected Local Government Revenues......Page 125
Enhancing Revenue Capacity......Page 131
Revenue Management Support Structures......Page 134
Managerial Issues......Page 137
7. Capital Budgeting and Economic Development......Page 140
Capital Budgeting......Page 141
Financing Capital Projects......Page 149
Economic Development......Page 151
Managerial Issues......Page 153
8. Debt Management......Page 160
Local Government Bonds......Page 162
The Debt Process......Page 167
Bond Ratings......Page 173
Alternative Long-Term Financing Methods......Page 175
Managerial Issues......Page 177
9. Summary and Synthesis......Page 182
The Role of the Finance Professional......Page 183
Issues in Budget Theory......Page 188
Previous Organization-Based Studies......Page 191
Public Budgeting and Organization Theory......Page 193
Conclusion......Page 198
B......Page 202
D......Page 203
I......Page 204
P......Page 205
T......Page 206
Z......Page 207