Alan G. Mayper, Michael Granof and Gary Giroux
The objective of this research was to determine the extent to whichmunicipal budget variances are systematically biased, the direction ofany biases, and the relationship between…
Abstract
The objective of this research was to determine the extent to which municipal budget variances are systematically biased, the direction of any biases, and the relationship between the biases and various political, economic, demographic and organisational factors. We compared budgeted and actual revenues and expenditures for 125 of the largest US cities and developed regression models to explain the magnitude of differences. Our results indicate that budget variances are decidedly conservative and are most significantly influenced by the extent of political competition and the percentage of funding from inter‐governmental grants. Inasmuch as unreliable budget estimates can thwart the political process, our findings suggest that there may be a need for both citizens and legislative bodies to review more thoroughly the budgets presented to them by city officials.
Details
Keywords
Suzanne H. Lowensohn and Jacqueline L. Reck
Coverage of governmental accounting is typically light within both accounting and public administration programs, and instructors generally do not have access to the same number…
Abstract
Coverage of governmental accounting is typically light within both accounting and public administration programs, and instructors generally do not have access to the same number of resources that they may find for courses which have been ingrained in their curricula for decades. Hence, it can be difficult for instructors to create or maintain student interest in governmental accounting without such resources. The purpose of this paper is to examine how instructors can emphasize relevance to increase the interest level of students in governmental accounting and to discuss how current resources and various pedagogical tools may be used as facilitators.