9/24/21, 12:46 AM 5.2. Discussion: Politics and Budgeting in the “Real World” – 4FA2021 Financing Public Services (POL-531-01A)
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Getting Started
Budgeting is often viewed in two very different ways. Those with more of an
ethical or technocratic view perceive public financial management as highly
specialized, process driven, and rigidly regulated. The ethical or technocratic
perspective attempts to avoid making arbitrary or inappropriate discretionary
decisions. The second viewpoint sees budgeting as the ultimate arena of
bargaining, pluralism, and interest group politics. Neither perspective gets it
right because neither addresses the core public administration values, which
include transparency, inclusiveness, and compromise.
Developing budgets for governmental operations and major projects involves
making choices. Ideally, strategic plans provide goals that are translated into
specific items in a budget. However, goals are often compromised by special
interests. Politicians may earmark or attempt to ensure that funds go to their
favorite interests or to their political districts. These possibilities make
transparency in budgeting all the more essential.
Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:
Describe how various aspects of public budgeting play out in the real world.
Resources
Textbook: The Politics of Public Budgeting
Background Information
The media is drawn to stories across the country of public officials and
budgetary debates. News stories of the political wrangling of public officials
abound. These money-related stories fill the pages of newspapers across the
country and are covered on the evening news. Public financial management, as
much as any public-sector endeavor, must build and maintain the public trust. It
is important for future public administrators to be aware of what is happening in
budget discussions across the country every day. Observing these kinds of
Listen
9/24/21, 12:46 AM 5.2. Discussion: Politics and Budgeting in the “Real World” – 4FA2021 Financing Public Services (POL-531-01A)
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stories play out in real time is one of the most fascinating parts of studying public
affairs.
Instructions
1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your
grade.
2. Review Chapters 3 and 6 in the textbook, The Politics of Public Budgeting.
3. On your own, research newspapers and governmental magazines to identify
a story that occurred within the last 12 months that highlights a political
debate regarding some aspect of the budget of the city you selected
in Workshop One.
4. Locate at least two (2) different objective and reliable sources that
document the details. Political budget battles are often covered by different
regional news outlets.
5. Carefully consider the following prompts:
a. Summary: Include a brief summary of the political debate story
detailed in the articles.
b. Lesson: What lesson can we learn from the articles and your analysis?
c. Connection to Course: How does this story build on or contradict
what you have learned from the text? (Be sure to cite chapters 3
and/or 6 in this section).
d. Citation: Include a full APA citation of all and only the sources you
used.
6. RESPONSE TO THE PROMPT: Respond to the prompts above.
a. Include a unique and meaningful SUBJECT line that summarizes your
contribution. (It should not be the discussion title or number.)
b. Your response to the discussion prompt is due by the end of the fourth
day of the workshop.
7. FOLLOW-UP POSTINGS: Read all of the discussion postings and respond
to at least two (2) of your classmates’ postings, as well as follow-up
instructor questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.
a. While students may agree with each other, each follow-up posting is
expected to go beyond just agreeing. Each follow-up posting should add
something original, substantive, and course-related to the discussion.
b. Your follow-up postings should engage classmates and move the
discussion forward in intentionally scholarly ways. Some ways to do this
include:
9/24/21, 12:46 AM 5.2. Discussion: Politics and Budgeting in the “Real World” – 4FA2021 Financing Public Services (POL-531-01A)
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i. introducing related information from an appropriate source that is
professional, reliable and valid
ii. including a direct quote from the text along with your observations
about the importance of the quote within the context of the
discussion
iii. including a paraphrase of the text/assigned reading (with an intext
citation that includes a page number)
iv. challenging commonly-held thinking by introducing published
research findings
v. examining a workshop concept from a scholarly perspective that
is not addressed in the text
vi. providing applicable illustrations from current events
vii. pointing out connections/common ideas/themes discussed so far
c. To qualify to capture the highest point categories, students should
reference and cite in APA format published sources (see assessment
criteria below) to support their statements.
8. OVERALL INVOLVEMENT:
a. The expectation is that students post their response to the prompt and follow-up postings on at least three (3) different days during the workshop to demonstrate full engagement.
b. Students are expected to cite all sources and use proper APA formatting
for all in-text citations and references.
c. Students are expected to employ proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
