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PA 6650

GOVERNMENTAL BUDGETING & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Last Updated February 7, 2022 

COURSE SYLLABUS

Term - 4, 2022 (March 21 - May 22, 2022)

 

Instructor Information

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Instructor: Manfred F. Meine, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus Mailing Address: Troy University , Florida , 81 Beal Parkway, Fort Walton Beach , Florida 32548 Contact Phone: (850) 974-2226 (weekday hours noted below)

Troy Email Address: drmmeine@troy.edu

Electronic and physical Office Hours: Contact me via e-mail at any time. I normally will respond quickly, but certainly within 24 hours. If you need to speak with me send me an e-mail for a telephone appointment, or feel free to call me between 4:00 and 6:00 PM any weekday. 

INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY: Professor of Public Administration retired; voted Wallace D. Malone D. Wallace Distinguished Faculty in 2011. Formerly: Director, TROY 's Florida and Western Regions; Chair, TROY 's Department of Public Administration; Associate Regional Director for Academic Affairs, TROY 's Atlantic Region, and Graduate Public Administration Professor totaling 26 years. Education: Ph.D. in Public Administration, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Teaching Prior to TROY: Virginia Commonwealth University; City University of New York; University of Maryland; Central Texas College; Columbia College; Saint Leo College. Professional background: Consultant, training developer and instructor for New York and New Jersey social service agencies. Graduate, FBI National Academy; thirty years law enforcement, personnel management, and training management experience. Certified Government Financial Manager; Executive Committee and former Treasurer, American Society for Public Administration, Section on Ethics and Integrity in Government (SEIGov); Past President: Florida Advisory Council on Military Education; Former Executive Committee member and Treasurer, National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services. Editorial Board member and manuscript reviewer for Public Integrity; Guest Editor for Public Integrity’s Symposium Edition on Military Ethics (2017). Current doctoral dissertation examiner and invited Visiting Professor for the University of Pretoria’s School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA).

Course Description

Course Description:

A survey of concepts, principles, processes, and practices in governmental budgeting at national, state, and local levels and the interrelationships of planning, programming, and budgeting strategies.

Course Objectives:

1.     Discuss the components of public budgeting systems.

Describe the relationship of public budgeting to public policy decision making, implementation, and evaluation.

Evaluate the primary sources of revenues at all levels of government based on the principles of taxation.

Identify the social, political, economic, ethical and cultural factors that influence public budgeting and financial administration.

Learning Outcomes:

Students will review, analyze and apply concepts involved in developing public sector budgets in an organizational context, and will demonstrate understanding of the structure and development of such budgets.

Entrance Competencies / Course Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course, but to ensure the best results, students should have completed PA6610 and preferably PA6601 as well. 

Required Textbooks & Supplementary Materials

Lee, R.D. Jr., Johnson, R.W. & Joyce, P.G. (2013). Public budgeting systems (9th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. (ISBN: 978-1-4496-2790-4)

The official bookstore for Troy University is Barnes and Noble (B&N). Students can now order textbooks within Canvas, Trojan Web Express or on the B&N website at http://shoptroytrojans.com/ (Links to an external site.). For further instructions on how to order your course materials go to “How to Order Textbooks”. Students should have their textbook by the first week of class. Not having your textbook is not an acceptable excuse for late work.

Attendance Policy

Although physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning activities is required. A series of four or more live online meetings will be offered to provide information for completing course requirements. For any questions contact me before the course start date once the course is made available.

Make-Up Work Policy

Missing any part of this schedule may prevent completion of the course. If you foresee difficulty of any type (e.g., an illness, employment change, etc.) which may prevent completion of this course, notify the instructor as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in failure for an assignment and/or failure of the course. If I have not heard from you by the deadline dates for assignments, exams, or forums, no make-up work will be allowed (unless extraordinary circumstances exist, such as hospitalization). Requests for extensions must be made in advance and accompanied by appropriate written documentation. “Computer problems” is not an acceptable excuse.

Method of Evaluation

Assignments

1.      Class Preparation and Participation: Students are expected to read all assigned material and to participate in class discussion. Active participation will enhance understanding of the course material. Weekly Participation is required and failure to submit weekly discussions on time will result in significant grade reduction.

2.     Budget Project/Case Analysis Term Project: As the term writing project, students using case analysis concepts and methods will obtain and analyze the designated local budget provided via a provided link in Canvas. The budget will be used to prepare the required written assignment in which students will be required to analyze the selected budget by answering specific questions, and as their case analysis assignment, complete a budget cutting exercise with accompanying written description and justification. The budget project instructions will be provided in the course.

3.     Examination Schedule and Instructions: A three to four hour closed book final examination will be administered during Week 8 of the course and will consist of complex essay questions and/or cases requiring students to explain and apply course concepts and case analysis methodology. The course final examination will not require a proctor, but it will be an online examination to be completed in Canvas with security arrangements to be detailed during the course.

Incomplete grade policy: Consult the graduate catalog for additional information.

The course grade is a compilation of scores achieved on the three course elements noted under the grading scale below. All work is graded on a 100 point scale. Those scores are then multiplied by the percentage weight noted below. Weekly homework is valued at a maximum of 100 points per week, with the participation grade being an average of the scores for the seven weeks of weekly discussion requirement. Late work is assessed a penalty of at least 10 points for the first day, 20 points for the second day, 30 points for the third day. A zero value will be awarded for assignments later than day 3. Weekly homework scores are not computed into the course grade book total weighted score until after all weekly work due dates have passed. Students can view their progress in the Canvas grade book at any time. The final course weighted score will tell students what their course grade will be in accordance with the grading standard below.

a. Grading Standard:                    b. Weighted Percentages:

90-100 = A                                    Class Participation 30%

80-89 = B                                      Course Examination 30%

70-79 = C                                      Term Project 40%

60-69 = D   

<60 = F                                   

Disability Services / ADA

Disability Services provides assistance and accommodations to students with documented disabilities that may impede their academic progress. Services include notifying instructors about the specific accommodations to which the student is entitled. Disability Services will not alter the academic requirements of individual courses. Each student must provide recent documentation of his or her disability in order to participate.

For more information about Disability Services in Troy University (e.g. how to apply, Troy University policies, documentation guidelines and contact information), click on this Disability Services link (Links to an external site.).

Additional Course Information

Submitting Assignments
Weekly assignments must be posted to the discussion board by the submission deadline, if pasted from an offline document, a copy of the Word document should be included as an attachment so I can verify formatting in case of issues in the Discussion Board. The weekly assignments will be the primary interaction mechanism for the course. Instructor comments and discussion of student submissions will be provided each week. These assignments will assist the student in preparing for the examination, all portions of which will have been discussed in this manner.

Submit papers in Standard English using a 12-point format, 1-inch margins, and double spacing in MS-Word format. The American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines are the standards for writing and referencing papers in the MPA program.

Technology requirements: See TROY Online Policies and Procedures, but keep in mind technology problems are not an acceptable excuse for late work.

COURSE SCHEDULE/CALENDAR OF WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:

(Weekly discussion questions and any additional instructions will be posted in the appropriate Weekly Learning Module in Canvas)

Week One: Introduction to Budgeting, the Public Sector, Government & the Economy
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 1 - 3, review the corresponding chapter slides in the Week 1 Learning Module of the course, and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 1 Module. NOTE: Weekly postings are due by 8:00 PM Sunday evening of each week unless otherwise instructed.

Week Two: Introduction to Budgeting, the Public Sector, Government & the Economy (Continued)
Review Lee & Johnson Chapters 1 - 3, review the corresponding chapter slides in the Week 1 Learning Module of the course, and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 2 Module.

Week Three: Budget Cycles and Revenue
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 4 - 6, review the corresponding chapter slides in the Week 1 Learning Module of the course, and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 3 Module.

Week Four: Budget Preparation
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 7 & 8, review the corresponding chapter slides in the Week 4 Learning Module of the course, and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 4 Module.

Week Five: Budget Approval
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 9 & 10, review the corresponding chapter slides in the Week 4 Learning Module of the course, and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 5 Module.

Week Six: Budget Execution & Financial Management
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 11 & 12, review the corresponding chapter slides in the Week 4 Learning Module of the course, and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 6 Module.

Week Seven: Capital Budgeting & Finance; Intergovernmental Relations
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 13 - 15, review the corresponding chapter slides in the Week 7 Learning Module of the course, and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 7 Module.

The final exam will be available at the end of Week Seven for completion during week eight.

Week Eight: There are no discussion questions for this week to allow students to complete the final exam, unless there is a need for make-up work.

Week Nine: There will be no weekly postings required to allow students to complete their course project, and for class discussion of the projects.

(Budget projects are due by 8:00 PM, Wednesday evening of week nine to allow for grading and discussion)