No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Generating the Public Financial Management Knowledge Base: Analyzing Method and Direction as a Sub-discipline of Public Administration
Abstract
This article analyzes the content of 584 articles published in the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting, and Financial Management and Public Budgeting and Finance with principal focus on how the public financial management knowledge base is generated. We find remarkable diversity of authorship and academic domicile. However, we note an absence of simulations and experiments and that much of the survey research does not comport with "best" practice. Practitioners were five times more likely to contribute than graduate students, and content continues a disciplinary tendency to neglect linkages between the macro-economy and public financial management. Our findings may reflect a public administration research ethos detailed by Frank Thompson and colleagues (1998) that is negatively impacted by lack of extramural funding.
... The study employs the following variables as the basis of data collection and analysis: authorship diversity, authorship status, academic rank, research methods, primary vs. secondary data used, symposium articles, topics of articles, editorial board affiliation, and external funding. The choice of variables is informed by the study's guiding research framework, by public administration studies (Frank, Christian, & Scutelnicu, 2009), and by related social science studies (Hancock et al., 2013). ...
... In terms of symposium articles, the study found that PPMR had a significantly higher percentage of symposia articles than JPART. On the one hand, PPMR focused on more symposia has the advantage of generating comprehensive and timely knowledge in a particular subject matter which may offer, in theory, contrasting views on a topic (Frank et al., 2009). On the other hand, symposia may be more responsive to editorial preferences rather than to the preferences of faculty and practitioners, thus offering the authors an opportunity to get published faster. ...
This study examines women’s representation in public administration scholarship by analyzing the research method and the content of 618 articles published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and the Public Performance and Management Review from 2004 to 2013. Findings indicate that women publish less than men as solo, lead, and top 10 authors in these two journals. The study identifies men’s publishing acceptance of articles using predominantly quantitative methods and women’s publishing acceptance of articles using predominantly qualitative methods. Finally, this study finds that university affiliation may contribute to publishing in one or the other journal under research. This study is suggestive in nature and provides further evidence of the underrepresentation of women in public administration scholarship.
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/CmQeSyT9CSbKiAjWHm3K/full
... Future studies could examine why this happens and suggest ways to better engage these groups. Finally, this study's findings make a contribution to the larger discussion of considering social equity to be part of the public budgeting and public financial management decision-making, a need previously identified in the public budgeting and financial management literature (Frank et al., 2009). ...
This study examines how successful the NYC’s participatory budgeting (PB) has been in promoting social equity in its city council districts. Drawing on secondary data coming from NYC council data and American Community Survey, this study specifically examines how successful PB been in engaging under-represented groups in its decision-making process, and in allocating funds equitably. Findings suggest that districts with a higher percentage of Asian-American and mixed race residents have a higher percentage of PB voters. The study finds that African–Americans, residents of Hispanic origin and women were not significant predictors of PB voters. Additionally, results indicate that districts with a higher percentage of people living below the poverty level and more Asian-American residents allocate more funds to PB projects. Other under-represented groups such as foreign born population and youth between 14 and 18 years of age did not have a statistically significant relationship with neither PB voters nor funding.
... An examination of three important PA textbooks 2 by Roberts (2013) revealed no systematic reference to "large forces" including economic transformation. Frank et al. (2009) analyzed articles from two major public budget and financial management journals 3 from 1996 to 2006. They found no article related to macroeconomic issues, central bank policy, or financial literacy . ...
A number of Public Administration (PA) scholars have raised concerns regarding the discipline’s neglect of macroeconomic challenges. Our article focuses on the link between macroeconomic trends and PA. We submit that PA needs to address changing economic structure, shrinking workforce, growing financial leverage, and rising wealth inequity to maintain relevance. Study of these trends complements PA research on government revenue reform and economic development. Furthermore, we suggest PA rebalances its underlying assumptions regarding intellectual boundaries and view of human nature. Without a paradigm shift, PA may lose any legitimate claim to be an appropriate administrative science.
... In related research, based on a review of 584 articles in two "public financial management" (PFM) journals, Frank, Christian, and Scutelnicu (2009) point out that the disconnect also runs in the opposite direction. PFM research, they conclude, shows a general intellectual indifference to macroeconomic issues such as globalization, immigration policy, savings rates, and tax policy, making it harder to link insights of PFM to social equity. ...
While not yet certain, Trump administration proposals to cut federal programs, including support for low-income housing, economic development in distressed rural communities, and workforce training programs, significantly threatens resources that local administrators have depended on to pursue greater social equity. As with the “new normal” following the Great Recession, administrators will be asked to innovate complex structural changes, including searching for new ways to generate needed revenues. These areas have both profound social equity implications and yet have received less attention from public administration researchers concerned with social equity. By necessity, if not by choice, local public administrators will be at the leading edge of innovation in these areas. By sharing ideas and innovations, administrators can support each other and advance our collective understanding of best practices in guiding structural change and financial equity administration. Most importantly, administrators can partner with their communities to defend, maintain, and expand social equity and social justice gains.
... The survey had a response rate of 51%, which is consistent with today's realities when 40 to 50% response rate is the average in social sciences, especially in the United States where "there are refusal rates as high as 30%" (Neuman, 2012, p.193). Moreover, the 51% response rate is consistent with the results of other recent studies (Frank, Christian & Scutelnicu, 2009) that reported a mean response rate of 49.1% for survey studies conducted in the public budgeting discipline. ...
In an effort to reduce the cost and size of government, public service delivery has become more decentralized, flexible and responsive. One of the strategies for reducing the cost and the size of public service delivery is the establishment of special districts. Community Development Districts (CDDs) are a particular type of special districts created to manage and finance infrastructure services that accommodate new development within the State of Florida. They have significant implications for public service delivery since they are considered flexible institutional choices for infrastructure service provision. In trying to assess the CDD performance this study aims at identifying the contribution of the districts to service delivery and at determining whether they represent an effective and responsive institutional choice for service delivery. Findings demonstrate that the CDD institutional model is both an effective and responsive service delivery tool but only in certain circumstances.
... Yet, while studies underscoring the dynamics and challenges of the small business credit market are avidly published throughout the economic development and public policy fields, little has been published on this important economic sector in the field of public administration and its budgeting and financial management subfields. In a review of nearly 600 academic articles published from 1996-2006 in two public finance journals, Frank, Christian, and Scutelnicu (2009) found that topics related to business development, economic policy, and credit markets remained relatively ignored in the research which informs public sector financial management. Frank (2009) noted that some within the field argue that public administration researchers do not have the qualifications to comment on economic policy or issues related to financial illiteracy, investments or credit markets. ...
Previous research suggests that inefficiencies in the small business market exist surrounding the availability of capital by Small and Microenterprises (SMMEs). Using data from the 1992 Characteristics of Business Owners Survey (CBO), the 2002 Survey of Business Owners (SBO), and the 2003 Survey of Small Business Finance (SSBF) this paper empirically estimates the "capital gap"- that is the unmet capital demand for business by SMMEs. We find that there is in fact a capital gap as the supply of capital available in the SMME market is not large enough to meet market demand. Given the importance of small businesses to economic vitality, growth, and recovery of the United States economy, the research provides critical and timely findings for policymakers and public finance managers seeking economic development and recovery.
... A recent study identified the top 13 leading authors of published articles in ABFM's affiliated journal, Public Budgeting & Finance (PB&F), from 1995 through 2005. 21 Four published authors were also ranked in the top 25 by the ABFM conference score: Phil Joyce (ranked first in journal articles and 14th in conference scores); John Mikesell (tied for second in articles and fifth at the conference); Beverly Bunch (tied for second in articles and sixth at the conference); and, Katherine Willoughby (tied for eighth in articles and fourth at the conference). The lack of further overlap in the two lists suggests that conference presentations may not be making their way into this premier outlet. ...
Public budgeting and financial management has grown into a vibrant and productive research field of study with multiple journals and conferences devoted to the topic. One way to map the field's development is to examine the participants and topics covered in its longest-running dedicated gathering of researchers, the 20 annual conferences of the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM). This article traces the 20-year history and composition of ABFM in terms of the participants and topics. It documents the evolution of the field and provides clues to the future direction of public budgeting and financial management published research.
This research aims to mark the 40th anniversary of Public Budgeting & Finance (PB&F) by providing a retrospective of its journey over the past 40 years using the method of an unsupervised machine learning technique—structural topic modeling (STM). The study identifies 15 key thematic topics that most optimally represent the 1028 articles that were published in the studied period from 1981 to 2020. Furthermore, the study reveals the dynamic changes in the popularity of each thematic topic over time. This research identifies past and emerging research trends in PB&F to help scholars and students keep sight of the overall landscape of public budgeting and finance literature.
In an effort to reduce the cost and size of government public service delivery has become more decentralized, flexible and responsive. Public entrepreneurship entailed, among other things, the establishment of special-purpose governments to finance public services and carry out development projects. Community Development Districts (CDDs) are a type of special-purpose governments whose purpose is to manage and finance infrastructure improvements in the State of Florida. They have important implications for the way both growth management and service delivery occur in the United States. This study examined the role of CDDs for growth management policy and service delivery by analyzing the CDD profile and activity, the contribution of CDDs to the growth management and infrastructure development as well as the way CDD perceived pluses and minuses impact service delivery. The study used a mixed methods research approach, drawing on secondary data pertaining to CDD features and activity, semi-structured interviews with CDD representatives and public officials as well as on a survey of public officials within the counties and cities that have established CDDs. Findings indicated that the CDD institutional model is both a policy and a service delivery tool for infrastructure provision that can be adopted by states across the United States. Results showed that CDDs inhibit rather than foster growth management through their location choices, type and pattern of development. CDDs contributed to the infrastructure development in Florida by providing basic infrastructure services for the development they supported and by building and dedicating facilities to general-purpose governments. Districts were found to be both funding mechanisms and management tools for infrastructure services. The study also pointed to the fact that specialized governance is more responsive and more flexible but less effective than general-purpose governance when delivering services. CDDs were perceived as being favorable for developers and residents and not as favorable for general-purpose governments. Overall results indicated that the CDD is a flexible institutional mechanism for infrastructure delivery which has both advantages and disadvantages. Decision-makers should balance districts’ institutional flexibility with their unintended consequences for growth management when considering urban public policies.
Persistent inflation has been a major problem for several years, but public administration has not responded as it should. Current compensation policies may be contributing to the problem and recent trends in collective negotiations offer no solution. A proposal to establish a partially retroactive compensation system with several unique anti-inflationary features is outlined to illustrate how public administrators can combat inflation.
nsuring equal chances for all to succeed is a value Americans have long embraced. They are more likely than other nationalities to believe in the importance of talent and effort in shaping a person's life prospects. They are also more likely to reject social class as an accept- able determinant of whether someone succeeds or fails. 1
The State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty--data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people.
This article examines the use of a new technology for collecting survey data for organizational research. Results are presented from a mail-and-fax mixed-mode study sent to 487 state and federal administrative law judges. Comparisons are made between the modes' response rates, financial costs, and results. No significant differences were detected in response choices and only minor differences were found in the characteristics of individuals who responded to each of the survey modes. The fax survey was found to impose a smaller financial cost on the researcher, suggesting the fax and mail-and-fax mixed-mode surveys to be promising modes of data collection.
The issue here examined grows out of the proposition that tax policy is the public policy that has the most pernicious effects on social equity in the United States. We hold that this proposition is so self-evident that it need be examined only tangentially to the main topics of this article: first, why would tax policy be excluded from a core MPA course on social equity, and second, how could the social equity implications of alternative tax structures be most effectively explored in the graduate classroom? The second proposition on which this analysis rests is that the substance of social equity is ultimately operationalized as economic equity. This does not refer simply to the distribution of income that emerges from market transactions, but rather to the distribution of the total range of social goods and other benefits produced by a society.
The social goods and benefits that are the products of collective actions taken to either supplement or correct the distribution that emerges from the private sector are of particular interest here. The term correct leads naturally to the question of what is the correct distribution, and this issue is ultimately a purely political one whose resolution can only be informed by analysis.
This introductory article to the special symposium entitled “The Evolution of Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting Education” introduces the five symposium articles that follow. The article also presents information to assist governmental and nonprofit educators in business schools and public administration educators in other colleges within a university in making comparisons between their perspectives and approaches. The authors’ view as accounting professors is that students in both disciplines develop stronger competencies for success in the public sector when their programs integrate context and techniques that come from using alternative instructional approaches and a diverse set of resources.
This study examines variations in perceptions of media influence based on the locus of impact (self vs. other) and the valence of the message (pro-social vs. anti-social). After reading one of four versions of rap lyrics either advocating or condemning violence or misogyny, 406 undergraduates filled out a survey measuring the perceived impact of songs with that type of lyrics on themselves and on other students. Results replicated previous findings of a third-person perception for the anti-social messages. Based on an ego-enhancement motivational explanation, it was predicted that there would be a reverse third-person perception for the pro-social messages. The findings did not support this hypothesis, and for the pro-social message regarding the treatment of women, a traditional third-person perception was found. However, consistent with the ego-defensive motivational explanation, the size of the third-person perception differential was significantly greater for anti-social than for pro-social messages. Implications of these findings for explanations of the third-person perception were discussed.
What role should public administration play in government efforts to address the consumption-investment imbalance plaguing America today? James Carroll offers suggestions centered on the need "to reinvent the Hamiltonian system and apply it to the global order of the twenty-first century." Reviewing the challenging trends that have shaped the current "imbalance" crisis, Carroll examines their implications and considers how public administration can deal with them through analytic, managerial, and strategic efforts that give direction to public policy and influence private sector behavior. Establishing reinvestment is a central priority, as are developing innovative "investment strategies and accounts" as alternatives to current service delivery approaches, extending the time horizon of decision making, and keeping "public administration as a field of study open and responsive" to these and other challenges.
Most MPA programs require that students complete a single course in the budgeting and financial management area. This course typically gives significant coverage to about a third of the financial management skills that practitioners surveyed deemed essential. Analytic skills, such as cost-revenue analysis, financial condition evaluation, and cost-benefit analysis, are seldom covered in these required courses. Also, most courses do not include significant coverage of governmental accounting or computerized financial modeling.
This article offers support for McCurdy's and Cleary's findings about the nature and quality of dissertation research and points out that dissertation research has little influence on the dissemination of knowledge through publishing. The responsibility for the quality of dissertation research is located with the dissertation committee members, based on the practical discourse model of the growth of knowledge. Several possible actions are suggested to improve dissertations and their contribution to publications in public administration.
This paper addresses the nature of research in doctoral programs in public administration. It argues that research problems in the field should be determined by the analytic form of public sector activity rather than by the substantive content of specific events. Recognizing that firsthand experience in the world of practice results only in an "acquaintance with" type of knowledge is prerequisite to achieving a more constructive relationship between theory, research, and practice. The methods of research rather than the techniques of management provide the analytical skills necessary for theoretically significant inquiry.
Almost 50 years after the Robert Hutchins-William Mosher debate about the contribution of research to knowledge about the field, research methodology in public administration remains weak and fragmented. Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the criteria that public administration research should meet, and this uncertainty is being transmitted to doctoral students entering the field. Data from doctoral dissertation research suggests that the lack of methodological progress is due to inadequate standards among leading university programs in public administration as well as to the nature of the field itself. Public administration has not come to grips with basic questions of research that should be settled in a mature field of study.
}Policymakers and managers rely to a large extent on stories told to them for information that shapes problem formulation and decision. But what can give them confidence in such stories? In this article, one of several articles by the author in which the value of stories is examined, the social origins of validity standards for storytelling. Based on sociological theory regarding the construction of social reality, the author argues that four questions typically are asked when the validity of a story is to be tested.
This study examines variations in perceptions of media influence based on the locus of impact (self vs. other) and the valence of the message (pro-social vs. anti-social). After reading one of four versions of rap lyrics either advocating or condemning violence or misogyny, 406 undergraduates filled out a survey measuring the perceived impact of songs with that type of lyrics on themselves and on other students. Results replicated previous findings of a third-person perception for the anti-social messages. Based on an ego-enhancement motivational explanation, it was predicted that there would be a reverse third-person perception for the pro-social messages. The findings did not support this hypothesis, and for the pro-social message regarding the treatment of women, a Lraditional third-person perception was found. However, consistent with the ego-defensive motivational explanation, the size of the third-person perception differential was significantly greater for anti-social than for pro-social messages. Implications of these findings for explanations of the third-person perception were discussed.
This article proposes new directions for a reoriented public financial management in the 1990s. Substantively, it calls for less research and pedagogy devoted to budget theory and format work and greater attention to "nuts-and-bolts" topics such as cash management, forecasting, and budget execution, as well as broader social issues related to American competitiveness. Another major area for consideration is bureaucratic incentive structure, a topic generally thought of as falling in the purview of public personnel. Concomitant with this reorientation, I hope that public financial management will eschew public administration's traditional hostility to Economic Man and its concern for capital formation (broadly defined to include human as well as financial capital), savings, and growth. The article closes with exemplar works for research and teaching.
The adequacy and quality of public administration research has historically generated significant controversy. This study reviews the research methodologies of Public Administration Review articles from 1975-1984. It concludes that recent public administration research: (1) has been predominately applied; (2) has not been cumulative; and (3) has lacked adequate institutional support. Recommendations are offered to improve research methodology in public administration by focusing intensively on core issues, institutionalizing research, and introducing specific methodological improvements.
In a 1992 issue of this journal, 12 scholars proposed an ambitious research agenda for the study of the American county. By all accounts, this agenda was both a catalyst and a guide for those interested in the nature, role, functions, operations, and practical relevance of county governments to either continue their research or to launch new studies in this underresearched area. The present article provides a detailed inventory of the research that has been conducted in the eight areas identified in the 1992 agenda. Specifically, which research questions have or have not been addressed satisfactorily? Such an exercise is a logical prerequisite for charting a path for future research on counties; it represents a synthesis of scholarly needs for theory building, hypothesis testing, and cumulative research and the dynamic and enduring knowledge-base needs of county practitioners and elected officials.
For the first time in decades, conventional wisdom about survey methodology is being challenged on many fronts. The insights gained can not only help psychologists do their research better but also provide useful insights into the basics of social interaction and cognition. This chapter reviews some of the many recent advances in the literature, including the following: New findings challenge a long-standing prejudice against studies with low response rates; innovative techniques for pretesting questionnaires offer opportunities for improving measurement validity; surprising effects of the verbal labels put on rating scale points have been identified, suggesting optimal approaches to scale labeling; respondents interpret questions on the basis of the norms of everyday conversation, so violations of those conventions introduce error; some measurement error thought to have been attributable to social desirability response bias now appears to be due to other factors instead, thus encouraging different approaches to fixing such problems; and a new theory of satisficing in questionnaire responding offers parsimonious explanations for a range of response patterns long recognized by psychologists and survey researchers but previously not well understood.
- McMurrer D. P.
- Frank H. A.
Bernanke Says Improving Financial Literacy Is Important for Consumers, Economy
- J Aversa
Aversa, J. (2006, May 23). "Bernanke Says Improving Financial
Literacy Is Important for Consumers, Economy."
[Online].
Public Administration: An Action Orientation
- R B Denhardt
- J V Denhardt
Denhardt, R. B., & Denhardt, J. V. (2005). Public Administration: An
Action Orientation (5 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Strapped: Why America's 20-and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead
- T Draut
Draut, T. (2006). Strapped: Why America's 20-and 30-Somethings
Can't Get Ahead. New York: Doubleday.
Assessing Public Administration Practice: The Case of Revenue Forecasting
- G A Gianakis
- H A Frank
Gianakis, G. A., & Frank, H. A. (1998). "Assessing Public
Administration Practice: The Case of Revenue Forecasting." In J.D.
White (Ed.), Research in Public Administration, Vol. 4. (pp. 51-64).
Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
What Is Being Taught as 'Public Financial Management
- G A Grizzle
- P J Yu
Grizzle, G. A., & Yu, P. J. (1990). "What Is Being Taught as 'Public
Financial Management'" Public Administration Quarterly, 14 (2):
173-189.
Public Financial Management Curriculum and Course Design: A Response to the National Task Force Report
- L R Jones
Jones, L. R. (1991). "Public Financial Management Curriculum and
Course Design: A Response to the National Task Force Report."
Public Budgeting and Financial Management, 3 (1): 171-189.
Teaching Budgeting: An Agenda for the 1990s
- J Mccaffery
McCaffery, J. (1992). "Teaching Budgeting: An Agenda for the
1990s". In J. Rabin (Ed.), Handbook of public budgeting (pp. 67-116). New York: Marcel Dekker.
- J L Perry
- K Kraemer
Perry, J. L., & Kraemer, K. L (1986). "Research Methodology in the
Public Administration Review, 1975-1984." Public Administration
Review, 46 (3): 215-225.
Public Expenditure Management: Selected Themes and Issues
- A Premchand
Premchand, A. (2006). "Public Expenditure Management: Selected
Themes and Issues." In H.A. Frank (Ed.), Public Financial
Management (pp. 21-44). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Administrative Behavior (4 th ed.)
- H A Simon
Simon, H. A. (1997). Administrative Behavior (4 th ed.). New York:
Free Press.
Report of the APSA-NASPAA Committee on the Advancement of Public Administration
- F J Thompson
- M Brintnall
- R F Durant
- D F Kettl
- B A Radin
- L R Wise
Thompson, F. J., Brintnall, M., Durant, R. F., Kettl, D. F., Radin, B. A., &
Wise, L. R. (1998). "Report of the APSA-NASPAA Committee on
the Advancement of Public Administration." A Paper Delivered at
the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association,
September 3-6, Boston, MA.
Generation Debt: Take Control of Your Money-A How to Guide
- C W Ulrich
Ulrich, C. W. (2006). Generation Debt: Take Control of Your Money-A How to Guide. New York: Warner.
Index of the Public Administration Quarterly
- S J Yeager
Yeager, S. J. (1992). "Index of the Public Administration Quarterly,
Volumes 1 (June, 1977) through 14 (Winter, 1991): Introduction."
Public Administration Quarterly, 16 (1): 3.