Public Budgets and Financial Management

Public sector budget frameworks are premised on efficiency, effectiveness and the ethical use of taxpayer’s money. This subject considers how public managers and ministers work within these frameworks to balance at times competing objectives and political undercurrents, including accountability under legislation, the legislative committee process, and the audit process. The focus is on OECD countries and trends in budget and spending review cycles, the empowerment of finance ministries and audit institutions, the adoption of private sector practices, fiscal rules and principles, and intergenerational equity. In managing public expenditure this subject examines the design of tax and social welfare systems, how budgets are political and the interplay between governments and capital markets.