Mars: The taxation attraction
“I do not need to remind you that part of your budget is funded by the Earth Space Governance Body,” replied Sophie. “It is not unreasonable that they expect that …
Course: Understanding Public Financial Management: How Is Your Money Spent?
Spending on Mars
Clearance required “That is something that the Earth Space Governance Body did not authorize.” The latest developments had been long discussed in the super-national organisation, and had also fuelled animated …
Comprehensive Spending Reviews (CSRs)
In the UK, the practice of conducting a comprehensive review of public spending gained widespread attention in the 2000s. The Start of Comprehensive Spending Reviews (CSRs) The first major Comprehensive …
What are Austerity Measures?
In the aftermath of the 2007-8 financial crisis, many governments around the world found themselves under severe financial pressure. In a bid to recapitalise banks and to restore confidence among …
Are all public expenditures necessary?
What is the role of the government and how should it spend its money? From spending on national defence to providing pension schemes, we generally think that the government should …
Case study: Brazil’s Bolsa Familia
The largest social welfare programme of its kind, Brazil’s Bolsa Familia is one of the most famous conditional cash transfers (CCTs) programmes in the world. Created in October 2003, it …
Evaluations and performance review
If most money for public programmes originates from taxes, it’s natural that we would like governments to tell us what we get out of those programmes. Answers to our questions …
What is the return to public expenditures?
When a government or any public sector organisation spends public money there are various consequences. Here, we examine just how governments assess whether a public expenditure is worth undertaking and …
Singapore’s Public Expenditure
Since gaining independence from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, Singapore has been managing its own budget. Its central government has remained relatively small with respect to those of most …
How are expenditure decisions made?
To understand how public expenditure decisions are made, we need to think about the differences between the public and private sectors. In this short video, Dr Ben Hardy outlines the …
Making decisions about public expenditures
How are public expenditures decided? To answer this simple question, we first need to examine the institutions of public governance. The institutions of public governance The organisation of public authorities, …
Where does public money go?
In some countries, the government spends relatively little on public programmes and investments; in others, the government is very active in providing citizens with many kinds of public services, which …
What do governments spend money on?
What do governments spend money on, and how has government spending changed? Dr Ben Hardy, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management, explores how changing perspectives on the role of …
Space: the next frontier
“What can you tell me about that?” Sophie Borisenkova pointed at a massive construction yard that she and the Director of the Mars Colony could see through the large windows …
What’s the fiscal outlook for Mars Colony?
Patience is over “Ms Borisenkova, I hope that you are satisfied with your review.” After more than four hours of discussions, the financial condition of the Mars Colony looked as …
These articles are from the online course:
Understanding Public Financial Management: How Is Your Money Spent?
