Fall 2020 - 58945 - PA 384C - Public Management-DC

This section is reserved for MPAff students in the DC Program only. Students will learn about the role of the President’s budget and how it is developed, defended and executed. The course also will teach students about the congressional appropriations processes from the time the Congress receives the President’s budget to the time final appropriations legislation is passed, including the role of Congressional appropriations subcommittees and full committees, funding mechanisms, congressional budget procedures, etc. This course will build on the traditional LBJ School public financial management course, focusing on the federal budget process as a policy process involving the executive and legislative branches of government. Topics include:  Budget as policy  Fiscal structure of government in the U.S.   Mechanisms of intergovernmental finance   Overview of public budgeting & the budget cycle   Federal budget formulation process (OMB and the executive agencies)  Congressional budget and appropriations processes  Federal deficit reduction   U.S. debt  Cost analysis  Budgeting examples, including for national security and foreign aid  Use of price indices for deflation and inflation Tax evaluation criteria   Income tax Understanding interest rates  How to evaluate a government budget  Budget reforms in the U.S.