Public Financing & Budgeting – PADM 462

Course Description

Fiscal and military policy, taxation and the budget process in government (Formerly GOVT 462).

Rationale

Government majors within a Politics and Policy Specialization and those pursuing a Government or Politics and Policy minor are required to demonstrate an understanding of a biblical Christian worldview as the foundation for public policy analysis, which comprehends conceptualization, formulation, and implementation of public policy within a federal framework of national and state policy concerns. This policy course requires the student to examine the federal budgetary process as to methodology, taxation and expenditures, politics, and reforms.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

The student will complete 4 Discussions in this course. For each discussion, the student will post a thread of at least 350 words. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 150 words each. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 4 scholarly citations in current APA format. Each reply must incorporate at least 2 scholarly citations in current APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the textbook(s), the Bible, journal articles assigned in the course or from other courses. 

Article Analysis Assignments (2)

In the assigned Module: Week, the student will prepare a 1,000-word critique of a budgetary article. In the critique, the student will prepare a summary of the article and include his/her thoughts on how that article adds to the Module: Week’s readings or the Discussions prompt. In the second portion of the analysis, the student will write a critique that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, and the effectiveness of the article. The student may select a budget article from the LU databases that is no older than 5 years and the student must include 7–9 scholarly references in current APA format. 

Excel Assignments (4)

In order to provide the student with a practical perspective on budgeting, 4 Excel assignments are due throughout the course. They are designed to hone the budgetary skills required for public budgeting and cover a variety of topics, including break-even analysis, fixed/variable costs, ratio analysis, future value of money, and adjust revenue for inflation. The student must use Excel to complete these assignments.

Budget Project: Government Agency or Organization Name Submission Assignment

The student will choose and submit a Government Agency or Organization Name that they wish to analyze for their budget project to the instructor for approval.

Budget Project: Outline Assignment

The student will evaluate and explain the role of budgeting in the administration of a selected government or non-profit organizations. This outline is a 2-page, basic alphanumeric outline following the assignment instructions and template. The detail should be brief, meaning only a sentence or two. The student will elaborate on each required component of the project in his/her final draft of the Budget Project.

Budget Project: Final Assignment

The student will evaluate and explain the role of budgeting in the administration of a selected government or non-profit organizations. The student must discuss in detail the process for preparing and approving his/her organization's budget and identify the top 3–5 things this organization can/should do to improve its budget process. This submission must be a minimum of 2,500 words, and the student must cite in current APA format at least 5 scholarly sources that are no more than 5 years old. This assignment must be submitted via Turnitin.

Quizzes (2)

The student is required to complete 2 open-book quizzes in the assigned Module: Week, which will consist of 20 randomized multiple-choice, true/false, and 2 essay questions. Quizzes will test the student on his/her knowledge of budgetary terms, course content, as well as budgetary methodology. The student will have 1 hour to complete each quiz.

Quizzes: Midterm and Final (2)

The student is required to complete 2 open-book quizzes, the midterm and final, in the assigned Module: Week, which will consist of 40 randomized multiple-choice, true/false, and 2 essay questions. Quizzes will test the student on his/her knowledge of budgetary terms, course content, as well as budgetary methodology. The student will have 2 hours to complete each quiz.