The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management: A Handbook for Academics and Practitioners

by Charles E. Menifield

Overview

In The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management: A Handbook for Academics and Practitioners, 4th Edition, 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. His analysis includes a discussion of: basic budgeting concepts; accounting techniques; a discussion of the budget process; budget techniques and analytical models; capital and personnel budgets; financial management; and budget presentations. Homework assignments reinforce the various subjects with practical applications that allow the students to reflect and engage the material in a realistic manner. This book blends budgetary theory and practice in a volume that is easy to understand by both undergraduate and graduate students alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761872115
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/15/2020
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Charles E. Menifield is dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey–Newark. His research interests lie primarily in the areas of budgeting and financial management, public health and welfare, and policing. Other areas include, health and education finance, and public administration education.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations List of Tables List of Exhibits Preface Acknowledgments General Book and Class Guidelines, Suggestions, and Pointers 1. The Context of Public Sector Budgets Appendices 1A-1G 2. Preparing a Budget Proposal Appendices 2A-2D 3. Personnel Services and Operating Budgets Appendices 3A-3C 4. Preparing a Capital Budget and a Capital Improvement Plan Appendices 4A-4E 5. Funding State and Local Budgets Appendices 5A-5G 6. Budgeting Techniques and Analytical Models Appendices 6A-6C 7. Financial Management Appendices 7A-7E 8. Effectively Communicating Data Appendix 8A-8B References About the Author

Editorial Reviews

This text is an excellent resource for graduate students in public budgeting and financial management courses. By combining public finance theory with practical applications and tools, this book allows students in my classes to prepare budget proposals, develop and defend capital budgets and capital improvement plans, and use a range of budgeting techniques and analytical models to prepare personnel services and operating budgets. Most importantly, the book’s contents make it easy for students to apply what they have learned directly into their work as public servants. As one student proclaimed, “I continue to be very pleased with the Menifield book which has tended to overlap with my experiences. For example, my agency is struggling with a structural deficit and utilizing other funds to maintain service levels, much like he discussed in chapter 7’”. The text also provides faculty with a plethora of resources (exercise solutions, power point presentations by chapter, instructors’ manual, and excel spreadsheets).” —Lachezar Anguelov, Evergreen State College

“The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management offers basic budgeting and financial management skills that can be easily grasped by undergraduates, graduates, and practitioners. It is a great tool for helping students understand budgeting from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Not only are students provided with a rich understanding of theory, they are given hands-on experience with developing, justifying, and defending budgets, all of which are integral to bridging theory and practice.
Each chapter contains questions that require application of the materials learned as well as exercises to help students improve their analytical, decision-making, and written communication skills. The book also provides partially filled Excel spreadsheets which are instrumental in providing students an opportunity to acquire experience in revenue estimation and budget preparation. Last, the book is accompanied with power point presentations and an instructor’s manual which further makes the course easier to teach.” —LaShonda M. Stewart, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

From the Publisher

This text is an excellent resource for graduate students in public budgeting and financial management courses. By combining public finance theory with practical applications and tools, this book allows students in my classes to prepare budget proposals, develop and defend capital budgets and capital improvement plans, and use a range of budgeting techniques and analytical models to prepare personnel services and operating budgets. Most importantly, the book’s contents make it easy for students to apply what they have learned directly into their work as public servants. As one student proclaimed, “I continue to be very pleased with the Menifield book which has tended to overlap with my experiences. For example, my agency is struggling with a structural deficit and utilizing other funds to maintain service levels, much like he discussed in chapter 7’”. The text also provides faculty with a plethora of resources (exercise solutions, power point presentations by chapter, instructors’ manual, and excel spreadsheets).

Lachezar Anguelov

The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management offers basic budgeting and financial management skills that can be easily grasped by undergraduates, graduates, and practitioners. It is a great tool for helping students understand budgeting from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Not only are students provided with a rich understanding of theory, they are given hands-on experience with developing, justifying, and defending budgets, all of which are integral to bridging theory and practice.

Each chapter contains questions that require application of the materials learned as well as exercises to help students improve their analytical, decision-making, and written communication skills. The book also provides partially filled Excel spreadsheets which are instrumental in providing students an opportunity to acquire experience in revenue estimation and budget preparation. Last, the book is accompanied with power point presentations and an instructor’s manual which further makes the course easier to teach.

LaShonda M. Stewart

The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management offers graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to learn some basic budgeting and financial management skills as well as a snap shot of budgetary theory in one textbook. Each chaptercontains questions that require application of the materials learned. Students are required to visit budget offices and use the Internet to collect budget information to complete the assignments. The main reason for selecting this text is its organization, readability, and the accompanying exercises. This void between theory and practice has existed in our field for some time and this textbook goes a long way in to completing the circle. The book culminates with a chapter that addresses the presentationof the budget. Quite often professors find themselves lacking the time needed to teach students how to use Excel and Power Point to develop tables, graphs, and presentations. Last, I like the fact that the book has an instructor's guide with completed Excel spreadsheets and sample open-ended responses.

Nailah Brock

This text is a great tool to help students and practitioners understand budgeting from a theoretical and practical perspective. It provides case studies and examples for understanding applications and excel worksheets that are instrumental in giving practical experience for developing budget proposals, personnel and capital budgets. Role playing opportunities are also provided which gives students a better understanding of the actors in the budget process. Students enhance their communication skills by presenting a proposal in a simulated hearing. They also forecast data and learn debt and cutback management strategies. The text also makes teaching the budgeting course easier as it is accompanied with power point presentations and an instructor’s manual.

LaShonda Stewart

This book is ideal for an undergraduate or graduate level course on state and local government budgeting. It covers basic concepts and skills on budget preparation, implementation, analysis and presentation. The examples and exercise questions were designed based on real world cases and have been adapted to facilitate students’ learning. I have successfully used many of the cases in MPA classes to generate lively and engaging discussion of complicated issues. The Instructor’s Guide and Excel spreadsheets also provide good resources for instructors to prepare lectures, design assignments and exams.

Gang Chen