Michael John Dougherty

Fiscal Retrenchment in State Budgeting: Revisiting Cutback Management in a New Era

Abstract The eight states in the Mid-Atlantic region used a variety of methods to reduce budgets during the recession of the early 2000s. Their behavior was consistent with what had been seen previous recessions. They were similar to the classic cutback strategies and the administrative response models discussed in the literature. The findings have the potential to be instructive as to how states will handle similar situations in the future.

The impact of performance budgeting on state budget outcomes

Little empirical analysis has occurred of the influence of performance-based budgeting on appropriation decision-making or budget outcomes, and most research has focused on the perceptions of budget officials. This research empirically tests to what extent the implementation of performance-based budgeting has had an impact on the actual allocation of resources in the form of Constant Per Capita Expenditures in the states. A pooled cross-sectional analysis is used to evaluate the time series encompassing before and after implementation as a means of determining the impact of performance budgeting on state budgeting outcomes as revealed in expenditure patterns of the states. Results indicate that the implementation of performance budgeting has a statistically significant and positive effect on budget outcomes in the states as measured by constant per capita expenditures.

The relationships between public finance issues, financial management issues, and conditions of fiscal stress in small and rural governments: the case of west Virginia

Small and rural communities face severe fiscal constraints. Many factors affect governance in these localities. Because of this, a vital concern are the relationships between “Fiscal Stress” and other factors. Multivariate analysis techniques are utilized to examine these relationships based on data collected from a survey of West Virginia local public officials. The analysis showed that “Public Finance” and “Financial Management” factors affect Fiscal Stress while external factors, such as professionalism, population, and metropolitan status, have little to no impact on Fiscal Stress. Additionally, Public Finance and Financial Management issues are critical to explaining Fiscal Stress in small and rural governments and Fiscal Stress is critical in explaining Public Finance and Financial Management issues. However, the relationships are not of equal strength; Fiscal Stress and Public Finance influence each other more strongly than Financial Management factors.

Local Knowledge Doesn’t Grow on Trees: Community-Integrated Geographic Information Systems and Rural Community Self-Definition

The Appalachian-Southern Africa Research and Development Collaboratory (ASARD) seeks to explore the integration of community decision-making with GIS across cultures. Combining geospatial data with local knowledge and the active participation of the community creates a Community-Integrated Geographic Information System (CIGIS) representing and valuing themes related to community and economic development. The intent is to integrate traditional GIS with the decision-making regime of local people and authorities to assist them in making informed choices and to increase local participation in land use planning, especially within economically disadvantaged communities.

Tribute to Richard E. Zody

Public budgeting is multifaceted. It draws from areas of study and practice ranging from management to administration to planning. Guided by analysis - enhanced by computational and technical advances - and political systems, it overlays the public sector at every level of government, including local, state, national, and international. It is also the domain of both academics and practitioners. This tribute honors Richard E. Zody by focusing on the multifaceted nature of public budgeting to reflect the career of a man committed to many of these dimensions. The central focus of his career was on improving public budgetary and management systems, and in doing so, he deftly drew from the many dimensions of budgeting. Dick demonstrated in his study, writing, teaching, and application an intellectual interest in two particular themes: the relationship between academics and practitioners; and budgeting and management, which includes the use of analytical skill and strategic planning. Through these interests, Dick impacted many lives.

Resolving Budget Cuts and Growing Budgets: The Case of West Virginia

Abstract West Virginia governors ordered experienced mid-year or next-year budget reductions (or both) from FY2002 to FY2006. The state used most of the general budget cutting techniques to achieve these cuts. General fund spending, however, increased 13.2 percent over the same period. Likewise, most spending categories experienced double-digit percentage increases over the period. Only once did spending actually drop from one year to the next. Instead, it appears that spending shifted because of requirements and priority changes, creating winners and losers.