The fundamentals of state and local government accounting, decision-making, budget practices, and capital planning and funding are taught in this course. The first section of the course provides an overview of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and financial reporting. This is followed by an introduction to funding and allocation of resources, and financial decision-making. The course then introduces the various budget processes and techniques employed by governments in budget preparation, enactment, and execution. The course ends with an examination of how governments fund capital improvements and infrastructure renewal as well as the causes of fiscal distress faced by government entities.
Learning Objectives
- Discover the basic accounting principles applicable to governments and recognize how to use comprehensive annual financial reports and other financial documents to evaluate financial strengths or weaknesses of government enterprises
- Explore the processes, techniques, and methods used by governments to prepare, adopt, and execute budgets
- Identify how governments plan and fund ”brick and mortar” infrastructure projects and the analytical techniques used to make sound capital decisions in the public interest including cost-benefit analysis
- Explore the elements of municipal bond issuance, underwriting, credit analysis, and, investment management
- Discover the causes of fiscal distress and the Ch. 9 bankruptcy filing process
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Prerequisites
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Preperation: None