Principles of Public Budgeting

Want to know where the priorities of the government really are? Follow the money. Every decision about what to fund, what to cut, and how to pay for public services is, at its core, a budget decision. That is why public budgeting sits at the heart of governance. This course introduces the theory and practice of public budgeting and fiscal administration across all levels of government: federal, state, and local. You will learn how governments decide to spend public resources, and how political, legal, and institutional constraints shape those choices. Along the way, you will build the core toolkit of a budget analyst: evaluating the budgetary impact of public policies, estimating costs, and forecasting revenues. No prior budgeting, finance, or economics experience is required.