Public sector volunteering is an increasingly common phenomenon that has attracted public administration scholars’ attention for several decades. Previous literature suggests that one of the main advantages of citizen involvement in public service delivery is related to subsequent cost savings. However, a lack of longitudinal data has limited our ability to test this proposition and constrained our understanding of the subject. The main goal of this study is to fill this lacuna and analyze the relationship between volunteering and the level of spending as well as the number of paid employees in city governments across 10 years. The empirical findings indicate that volunteer involvement is indeed significantly and negatively associated with the level of spending and the number of paid employees, with the number of services unaffected. The cost savings, however, may come with delays most likely because it takes time and resources to properly train volunteers. This may also drive up administrative costs.
The Dodd–Frank Act of 2010 amended the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and introduced new registration requirements and regulatory standards applicable to municipal financial advisors. The reform is intended to address some of the problems observed with the conduct of some municipal advisors, including the issuance of financial advice without adequate training or qualifications, and to help municipal debt issuers to raise capital more efficiently. This article explores potential implications of the policy for municipal borrowers. After reviewing the main policy provisions and discussing theoretical outcomes, it empirically tests the null hypothesis of no policy effect on the cost of municipal borrowing in California. The results suggest a significant decrease in true interest cost after the reform. The policy effect is more pronounced on negotiated debt. Thus, the federal regulation of municipal financial intermediaries may have helped to improve the average quality of advice in the market and lower the cost of borrowing.
Public managers strategically use resources to smooth out cash receipts and disbursements. As a cash flow management tool, managers can use interfund transfers, which are flows of assets without equivalent return flows and without repayment. This study asserts that managerial professionalism, in the form of a full‐time finance director, drives the likelihood of interfund transfers. Using 2010–2017 data from Georgia counties, hurdle model results indicate that full‐time finance directors are more likely to use interfund transfers and increase their level. This finding demonstrates the role of financial management expertise in increasing the strategic options available to manage cash flows. Applications for Practice Local governments with a full‐time finance director use more interfund transfers as one working capital management strategy to manage cash flows. Results from this study provide a justification for local governments to hire a full‐time finance director to improve the array of financial management strategies accessed. Local governments that increase tax base diversity have reduced engagement for General fund interfund transfers in, while higher levels of reported cash generate larger amounts of transfer activity.
This study tests the effect of gubernatorial policy agendas on state budgetary choices. Governors are commonly perceived as state policy leaders, but lack direct legislative authority and depend on the law makers to pass bills and present them for signature. The theory posits that governors nonetheless possess several formal and informal tools that are used to overcome this institutional disadvantage and successfully pursue their policy goals. Gubernatorial policy priorities in this study are extracted from public speeches using unsupervised machine learning. Their influence on state spending choices in different policy areas is tested through panel data analysis of all states from 2007 through 2015. Empirical findings reveal that the effect of executive agendas is more pronounced in the area of transportation infrastructure and public safety—potentially due to lower levels of conflict and concentrated benefits, which eases deal making with law makers. Governors are also more persistent with policy proposals that are more important for reelection. Related Articles Adams, Brian E. 2016. “Assessing the Merits of Decentralization: A Framework for Identifying the Causal Mechanisms Influencing Policy Outcomes.” Politics & Policy 44 (5): 820‐849. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12172 Heidbreder, Brianne. 2012. “Agenda Setting in the States: How Politics and Policy Needs Shape Gubernatorial Agendas.” Politics & Policy 40 (2): 296‐319. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2012.00345.x Patrick, Barbara. 2012. “Fiscal Federalism, Performance Policies, and Education Reforms: Are States Using Performance Policies to Improve Workforce Quality?” Politics & Policy 40 (4): 593‐628. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2012.00370.x
Governments use economic development incentives to attract new investment and retain existing businesses. Empirical evidence for their effectiveness remains inconclusive. This research tests the effect of incentives on the number of firms, employees, and their payroll in a longitudinal study of all county governments in the state of Georgia over 16 years. It incorporates a comprehensive set of incentives offered by counties to attract and retain businesses and accounts for the frequency of their use and financing level. Empirical findings indicate that industrial development bonds are significantly associated with the number of firms in the average county. This association is stronger in rural areas and not significant in urban counties. Subsidies, on the other hand, tend to be negatively associated with the number of firms in urban counties, but not in rural counties. No incentive is significantly correlated with firm employees or payroll.
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