Budgeting and Financial Mgmt

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The federal budget has implications for nearly every major policy issue under the sun, from health care and economic opportunity to national security and human rights. More than numbers in a table, the federal budget is a reflection of national priorities, a set of choices about how to generate and utilize shared resources, and a product of a uniquely complex set of inputs and actors. And because of its centrality to so much decision-making, the budget is also very often a battlefield of ideas, ideologies and interests. Throughout this week, we will learn how to navigate that battlefield. We will delve into the substance of the federal budget, discovering where the money goes and where it comes from, with particular attention paid to the many ramifications of those choices. We will also investigate the processes by which the budget is proposed, enacted and executed, to better understand how budgeting decisions get made and by whom. And we will apply those lessons to some of the key fiscal and budgetary issues facing the federal government today. While this week will focus on the federal budget, many of the general concepts and ideas can be applied to public budgeting in general, though the specifics will vary.