California State University, Sacramento
Public Policy
and Administration
PPA 230
Public Budgeting and Finance
Spring 2004
Wednesday 6:00 pm – 8:50 pm
Alpine
227
|
Robert Waste |
Office: 3036 Tahoe Hall |
|
278-4944 (office) |
Office hours: Mon 3-5 pm |
|
804-8185 (cell) |
Or by appointment |
| Email: wasterj@csus.edu |
|
Introduction
This
course is designed to give you a basic understanding of the role of budgeting
in the public sector. It covers budgeting at the federal, state, and local levels,
but focuses on state and local budget and finance issues. Budgets are one of the
most significant policy documents in the public domain. They reflect priorities,
values, and power relationships. Although they have important technical aspects,
budgets are fundamentally political statements. They reflect the choices that
result from the political process. But the study of budgeting only begins with
the production of a budget. Budgets, in their organizational contexts, are tools
for organizational development and change. In addition to studying budgets as
policy documents, we will study the managerial role and challenges in developing
and implementing budgets. We will use actual budgets to illustrate budget development
and implementation concepts throughout the course.
Course Objectives
Students
learning objectives for the course are to:
q Develop an understanding of the political context of
budget development and implementation at the federal, state, and local levels;
q Develop a working knowledge of the California budget
process, budget concepts, and budget terminology;
q Learn some basic skills in budget development, analysis,
and implementation – including benchmarking, logic models, grant preparation,
and decremental budgeting (including zero-base budgeting);
q Understand the role of budgets in the life of a state
or local agency or department;
q Gain an understanding of budgets as tools for accountability;
q Develop some basic skills in the selection and use of
performance measures in the context of performance budgeting; and
q Improve applied written and oral communication skills,
including the presentation of budgetary information.
Format of Course and Expectations of Students
This
is a participatory seminar--not a lecture class. If you come expecting to be told
what was covered in the readings, you will be disappointed and unsuccessful. Effective
class discussions require that you do the reading and come prepared to share your
questions and ideas with your classmates. In our class discussions we will relate
the theories and concepts from the readings to our workday experiences as well
as current events, this should be a great semester for budget watching!
q Most often we will have class discussions oriented toward
issues raised in the readings. From time to time we will have student presentations,
case studies, role-playing, in-class exercises, and guest speakers. The emphasis
in class discussions will be on key issues and concept, and specific budgetary
techniques – including (but not limited to) benchmarking, logic models, grant
preparation, and decremental budgeting (including zero-base budgeting).
q This semester the PPA 230 Seminar is organized to emphasize
clients, teams, and specific budgetary skills and deliverables. Seminar participants
will be divided into six teams (with five seminar participants in each team).
Each team will be assigned to a client, and each team will produce a portfolio
for their client (due in Week # 15) including:
1.
Bench-marking measures
2.
A logic model
3.
A completed grant application; and
4.
3 alternative budgets.
q
We will also emphasize – via class
discussion, readings and the midterm and final assignments – a detailed analysis
of the most pressing budgetary issue of our era, the seemingly endless presence
of budgetary crisis. How (assuming that it is possible) can the public sector
move through and beyond the current “permanent fiscal crisis” to a more stable,
more accountable, more responsive governmental budgetary environment?
This larger question is the primary normative and professional focus of our
seminar this semester.
In
addition to the required readings, you are expected to stay current on fiscal
issues by reading the Sacramento Bee (www.sacbee.com)
and Rough & Tumble (www.rtumble.com)
a compilation of news stories from around the state.
Assignments
and Grading
Class participation |
15% |
Team-Based Client Budgeting
Portfolioincluding: □ Budgetary benchmarking measures □ Logic model □ Grant proposal □ 3 alternative budgets Portfolio due in class on Week # 15. This will be a group grade (worth
35% of your overall seminar grade) assigned to everyone in your team. If there
are problems with communication or workload sharing in your team, you need to:
(a)
Bring this to the attention of your
team members as early as possible. (b)
If this fails, you have attempted
to address such problems (assuming that any such problems arise, which is unlikely
given the historical track record of most PPA seminars), your professor will be
happy to intervene to re-establish effective and successful teamwork norms and
expectations. |
35% |
Mid-term – An analysis (not to exceed 6 pages)
of the Governor’s budget reform proposals in light of the argument set forth in
David Osborne and Peter Hutchinson, The Price of Government: Getting the Results
We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis (New York, Basic Books, 2004). What would
Osborne/Hutchinson think of the Governor’s proposals? Why? Based on which examples
and passages from their book? If they disagree, who is correct, and why? If they
agree, are they correct and why? How can California emerge from this seemingly
endless era of fiscal crisis? When? Why? |
20% |
Final project – A revised analysis (not
to exceed 10 pages), incorporating feedback and comments provided by your professor
on your midterm of the Governor’s budget reform proposals in light of the argument
set forth in David Osborne and Peter Hutchinson, The Price of Government: Getting
the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis (New York, Basic Books, 2004). |
30% |
Total |
100% |
Required Readings and Texts
Osborne,
David, and Hutchinson, Peter. 2004. The Price of Government: Getting the Results
We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis g. First edition.
New York, Basic Books.
Browning,
Beverly. 2001. Grant Writing for Dummies. Paperback edition (Feb. 2001).
New York, Hungry Minds.
Osborne
& Hutchinson will be our primary text, however, several readings and resources
sources are located on the Internet. Links to most of these Internet readings
are provided in this syllabus. Please read assigned readings for class for
discussion purposes. Note: additional readings may be assigned from time to time. For
a quick introduction to the Osborne/Hutchinson POG (Priorities of Government)
approach to budgeting see the discussion at:
http://www.awb.org/cgi-bin/absolutenm/templates/?a=555&z=3
PPA
230 Budgeting and Finance
|
Week |
Date |
Topics
and Assigned Readings |
Task(s) |
|
1 |
Jan 26 |
Introduction and overview Read
the Overview of the Federal & State budget processes, Brief History of Budgeting
located at: | |
| 2 |
Feb 2 |
Meet the Clients: Organizations Individuals (Clients) Center
for Collaboration David Sumi City
of Sacramento Kevin McCarty CSU
Trustees Eric
Guerra Gold
Rush Park Foundation Bob Waste Project
HELP Trish Stanionis Very
Special Arts Alice
Parenti |
1
page resume |
|
3 |
Feb 9 |
Budget
Tool # 1: Benchmarking – Benchmarking Workshop Read
the page electronic “pages” (8 pages in actual hard copy form) primer on benchmarking
published by the Grantsmanship Center at: |
Brainstorm
benchmarks useful for your clients |
| 4 |
Feb 16 |
Budget Tool # 2: Logic Models – Logic Model
Workshop Read
the 72 page explanation of logic models located at: |
|
|
5 |
Feb 23 |
Interview the Clients |
Rough out logic models useful for your clients.
Think in terms of budgets, programs & grants. |
|
6 |
March 2 |
Budget Tool # 3: Grant Preparation – Grant
Preparation Workshop Read
the Proposal Writing Short Course published by the Foundation Center located at:
|
|
|
7 |
March 9 |
Interview the Clients |
Rough out grant objectives
& expectations of your clients |
|
8 |
March 16 |
Overview
of the California State Budget Process Read: Current
California Fiscal Issues |
|
|
9 |
March 23 |
NO
CLASS – Spring Break |
|
|
|
March 30 |
“Robo
Saw” versus “POG” - Analyzing the Governor’s Budget Reform Proposals versus the
Osborne/Hutchinson Approach Read: Osborne,
David, and Hutchinson, Peter. 2004. The Price of Government: Getting the Results
We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis g. First edition.
New York, Basic Books; and For
a quick introduction to the Osborne/Hutchinson POG (Priorities of Government)
approach to budgeting see the discussion at: |
|
|
| April
6 | Constitutional
Aspects of Reforming the California Budget Process Invited
Guest |
|
|
10 |
April 13 |
Budget Tool # 4 Decremental Budgeting– Decremental
Budgeting Simulation |
Eureka team budget simulation – using zbb &
across the board cuts |
| 11 |
April 20 |
Budget
Tool # 5: BCP’s – Budget Change Proposal Workshop Read: |
|
|
12 |
April 27 |
Budgeting Case Study: Budgeting Under Fire
- The California Arts Council |
|
|
13 |
May 4 |
Budgeting
Case Study: Ballot-Box Budgeting – The 2004 Measure A Transportation Sales Tax
Renewal Invited
Guest |
|
|
14 |
May 11 |
Presentation
of Portfolios to Clients, assessment & wrap up. |
|