Understanding Public Financial Management

What topics will you cover?

• Understanding financial statements: an examination of the information contained in common accounting terms
• Fiscal imbalances: causes and consequences
• Understanding public sector spending: how governments spend public money to implement public policies and execute programmes and projects
• Planning and budgeting: an analysis of how public expenditure decisions are made
• Evaluating public expenditures: understanding the effect of public spending decisions
• Cutting expenditures and the austerity agenda: how government austerity policies are used to reduce government activity
• Common sources of public revenues, including inter-governmental transfers, and alternative sources used by governments across the world
• Taxation: an exploration of the advantages and disadvantages of taxation, custom duties and fees, and their uses, from behavioural change to stimulating business activity
• Auditing and accountability: exploring the concept of accountability and explaining the importance of corporate governance in ensuring government accountability
• Understanding public governance: exploring how the crisis of public administration has led to financial disaster in cities like Detroit