The Oxford Handbook of State and Local Government Finance

The Oxford Handbook of State and Local Government Finance
Author: Robert D. Ebel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 1057
Release: 2012-03-21
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199938318

State and local government fiscal systems have increasingly become vulnerable to economic changes. Over the past three decades, state and local deficits during economic recession have been larger and deeper each time. The impact of the Great Recession and its aftermath of feeble growth and lingering high unemployment has been dramatic both in scope and intensity. Before the crisis, long-term structural deficits were persistent for both individual governments and the entire sector as spending plans and patterns outpaced governments' revenue-generating capacity. The revenue systems of these governments eroded while the workloads and scope on the expenditure side of the state and local system budget continued to grow. This handbook evaluates the persistent problems in the fiscal systems of state and local governments and what can be done to solve them. It contains 35 chapters authored by 60 practitioners and academics who are renowned scholars in state and local finance. Each chapter provides a description of the discipline area, examines major developments in policy, practices and research, and opines on future prospects. The chapters are divided into four sections. Section I is a systematic discussion of the institutional, economic, and political framework that provides a background for understanding the structure and financial performance of the state and local sector. The chapters in Section II provide an overview of the various components of state and local revenue systems and how they reacted to the Great Recession. They analyze the diverse forms of taxes and charges in detail, prescribe remedies and alternatives, and examine the implications for future revenue performance. Chapters in Section III turn to spending, borrowing and financial management in the state and local sector. The focus is on the big six service delivery sectors: education, health care, human services, transportation, pensions, and housing. Section IV is a set of chapters that look ahead and speculate about how the state and local government sector's money-raising, spending, and service delivery structures will adjust to the new circumstances.

Angels in the Silicon

Angels in the Silicon
Author: Richard Therodor Kusiolek
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2012-12-18
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 147729578X

This creative non-fiction book for the reader is a great introduction to the effects of global capitalism on the dynamic region that is the San Francisco Bay Area. It is written by the author with deep knowledge of the business practices, which have shaped the area into what it is today. What will interest the reader most, however, are the multicultural aspects in the book, from the main protagonists background as an Eastern European, to the chasing of the American dream, afforded and provided by opportunities in the Silicon Valley. Things are not so simple. What the book does well is offer a perspective of the globalized effects that fracture the American dream in terms of both business and law practices sweeping the region (and the U.S. at large). For someone who is a new transplant to the area under question, it was truly fascinating to get this well-documented historical perspective. What is more, and this is where the true literary merit of the book comes from, is that this larger economic element is reflected in the fracturing of the American family itself, issues with which Thaddeus Sikorski, the protagonist of the novel, struggles. To this, readers get access to a perspective on the laws shaping divorce in America, the repercussions of which causes emotional turmoil for Thaddeus and his Angels. These more personal, emotional stakes are what will truly grab the reader. They provide a much-needed grounding of the broader themes explored in the novel, making them palatable and engaging to a casual reader. We are taken through the pursuit of the American dream, the establishment of the American family, and a smattering of suspense and intrigue. If you want to know more about the forces that shape modern business practices in all their dream-fulfilling and dream-shattering capacities, this is a good read.

Governance and Public Management

Governance and Public Management
Author: Charles Conteh
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2014-05-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134496818

The key difference between success and failure for most governance systems is adaptation, specifically the ability to resolve the existing social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges that constrain adaptation. Local, regional and national systems differ in how they are designed to organize effective participation and create innovative ideas for missions, goals, strategies and actions. They also differ in how they build the effective coalitions needed to adopt, guide and protect strategies and actions during implementation, and how to build competence and knowledge to sustain implementation. This book presents the strategic foundations for government’s role in fostering and adapting to societal transformation in a volatile world. It shifts the focus of the discipline from an overtly retrospective analysis to a prospective analysis, incorporating the role of foresight techniques and instruments. Above all, it stimulates debate about the practical implications of governance as an emergent future-oriented framework of public management. This challenging book aims to facilitate dialogue and discussion between academics and practitioners, and encourage advanced students to take a new perspective on Public Management during these volatile times.

Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government

Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government
Author: Stephen E. Condrey
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 1056
Release: 2010-08-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0470484047

HANDBOOK OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN GOVERNMENT, THIRD EDITION The practice of public human resource management has evolved significantly in recent years due to increased outsourcing, privatization, and the diminution of public employee rights. This thoroughly revised and updated edition of the classic reference Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government offers authoritative, state-of-the-art information for public administrators and human resource professionals. The third edition features contributions from noted experts in the field, including Donald E. Klingner, Mary E. Guy, Jonathan P. West, Jeffrey L. Brudney, Montgomery Van Wart, J. J. Steven Ott, Norma M. Riccucci, and many more. Praise for the Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government "This third edition of the Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government is an essential resource for scholars, practitioners, and general readers in need of concise summaries of up-to-date, cutting-edge, public personnel administration research. No other handbook on the market more concisely, more comprehensively, more clearly synthesizes this vast, rapidly changing field that remains so vital to effective government performance." RICHARD STILLMAN, editor-in-chief, Public Administration Review "The Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government comprehensively and seamlessly blends theory and practice. The result is a clear road map that can finally make HR a key player in helping the government meet the unprecedented challenges facing our nation, our states, and our communities." BOB LAVIGNA, vice president, Research, Partnership for Public Service, Washington, DC "With each successive edition, Condrey's Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government becomes a more essential tool for graduate students who wish to improve their understanding of this field. Condrey's own expertise has enabled him to take contributions from leading experts in the field and shape them into a reader that is comprehensive, engaging, and authoritative." DONALD E. KLINGNER, University of Colorado Distinguished Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; former president, American Society for Public Administration; and fellow, National Academy of Public Administration

The Pig Book

The Pig Book
Author: Citizens Against Government Waste
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2013-09-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 146685314X

The federal government wastes your tax dollars worse than a drunken sailor on shore leave. The 1984 Grace Commission uncovered that the Department of Defense spent $640 for a toilet seat and $436 for a hammer. Twenty years later things weren't much better. In 2004, Congress spent a record-breaking $22.9 billion dollars of your money on 10,656 of their pork-barrel projects. The war on terror has a lot to do with the record $413 billion in deficit spending, but it's also the result of pork over the last 18 years the likes of: - $50 million for an indoor rain forest in Iowa - $102 million to study screwworms which were long ago eradicated from American soil - $273,000 to combat goth culture in Missouri - $2.2 million to renovate the North Pole (Lucky for Santa!) - $50,000 for a tattoo removal program in California - $1 million for ornamental fish research Funny in some instances and jaw-droppingly stupid and wasteful in others, The Pig Book proves one thing about Capitol Hill: pork is king!

The Whole Library Handbook 5

The Whole Library Handbook 5
Author: George M. Eberhart
Publisher: American Library Association
Total Pages: 538
Release: 2013-04-23
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0838910904

The Whole Library Handbook, now in its fifth edition, is an encyclopedia filled with facts, tips, lists, and resources essential for library professionals and information workers of all kinds, all carefully handpicked to reflect the most informative, practical, up-to-date, and entertaining examples of library literature. Organized in easy-to-find categories, this unique compendium covers all areas of librarianship from academic libraries to teen services, from cataloging to copyright, and from gaming to social media. Selections include Facts and figures on library workers Bookmobile guidelines 100 great libraries of the world Job search and recruitment techniques, and advice on how to deal with tough economic times Tips on writing articles and book reviews Fun with cataloging rules Famous librarians’ favorite books Covering a huge spectrum of librariana, this one-of-a-kind volume is both educational and entertaining.

The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management

The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management
Author: Charles E. Menifield
Publisher: University Press of America
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2013-08-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0761861424

The Basics of Public Budgeting and Financial Management brings budgetary theory and practice together, filling the void between the two that has existed in the field of budgeting and public finance. This book bridges the gap by providing the reader with applications and exercises that reinforce budgetary theory. Students are given the opportunity to learn various concepts and skills necessary to succeed in the field and the exercises provided in each chapter require application of what is learned. Specifically, students will be exposed to basic budget and finance concepts, public revenue, financial management, risk assessment, cost benefit analysis, and so on. This handbook also provides great tools that allow the user to visually display budgets and other analysis. Students will gain the solid foundation needed to begin work in a budget office. Features of this second edition include enhanced data and optional in-class assignments. For ancillary materials, please contact the author at [email protected].