public budgeting & financial management.

In the area of public budgeting and finance, the School is highly-regarded. Recently it was ranked 21st nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Faculty and students in this area work closely together on many issues. The common thread in the teaching and research in this area is applied financial management and policy issues in the public sector. Some current research topics include: state and local taxation, budgeting processes and citizen participation, performance budgeting and measurement, health care finance, financial management in non-profit organizations, infrastructure finance, transportation, public debt and innovative financing, intergovernmental relations, and international public finance. In approaching these issues, the faculty draw from the disciplinary areas of economics and political science, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Students studying in this area should have a background in economics, statistics, and public administration or policy. The coursework in this specialization typically involves some advanced microeconomics and public finance theory, as well as doctoral courses and independent studies in the School. The goal is to ground the student's work in the study of public institutions. Students work collaboratively with faculty on research projects, and are involved in presenting their research in national forums. There is ample opportunity for placement in faculty positions as well as in government and private positions focused on applied research, evaluation and consulting. Recent graduates have been placed at Bridgewater State College (Massachusetts), Zhongshan University (People's Republic of China ) and the Government Accountability Office.

Faculty

John Bartle, Professor (PhD, The Ohio State University), is the Director of the School of Public Administration. He teaches in the areas of public finance, public sector economics, budgeting, research methods, and policy evaluation. He has published in a variety of journals on topics such as cutback management, the fiscal effects of intergovernmental grants, local government taxation, gender budgeting, procurement and contracting, and infrastructure finance. He is the editor of the book, Evolving Theories of Public Budgeting . He worked as a tax policy analyst in Minnesota state government and for the American Enterprise Institute in Washington D.C., and has been a consultant for federal, state and local government agencies, as well as international organizations. He currently serves as Chair of the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management, the leading national organization of scholars and practitioners in the field.

Ken Kriz, Associate Professor (Ph.D., Indiana University-Bloomington), teaches in the areas of public financial management and policy, economics, and statistics. His research is both international and domestic and focuses on municipal debt management, economic development policy and transportation finance, along with the use of alternative estimation techniques in public finance. He has worked in the public sector as a U.S. Navy supply officer and has consulted with several public and nonprofit organizations on financial and economic issues. Professor Kriz has also had experience in the private sector financial services industry. He is a frequent presenter at national and international budgeting and financial management conferences and has published papers in the areas of municipal bond issuance, revenue limitation initiatives, and tax increment financing.

B.J. Reed, Professor (Ph.D., University of Missouri), has been at UNO since 1982, having served as Chair of the Public Administration Department from 1985 to 2000, and currently as Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service. He teaches strategic planning, financial management, and budgeting. He has published in numerous journals and is also the author of several books on topics including economic development, strategic planning, intergovernmental management, and with John Swain, the widely used text, Public Finance Administration, now in its second edition. Reed currently has served as President of the National Council of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) and has previously served as chair of the Council on Peer Review and Accreditation of NASPAA. He was recent elected as a Fellow at the prestigious National Academy for Public Administration. Dr. Reed's practitioner experience has been with the National League of Cities and as Director of Community Development of the City of Mexico, Missouri.

Arwiphawee Srithongrung, Assistant Professor (D.P.A., University of Illinois at Springfield), teaches public budgeting and introduction to public administration. Her dissertation examines the impact of strategic capital budget and management programs on state economic performance. Her research interest includes comparative study in public budgeting, infrastructure management, budgetary institutions, and economic growth. She presented papers at the International Atlantic Economic Society and the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management conferences.