State and local governments are hardpressed to maintain balanced budgets without having to eliminate provision of essential public services. Frequent and severe economic fluctuations, taxpayer resistance to the cost of government services, mandates, and decreasing financial aid from the federal government make the need for more efficiency and economy in government urgent and sound financial management essential.<br><br>State and Local Government Financial Analysis and Management provides students with an understanding of the fundamental fiscal issues confronting state and local administrators and policymakers, and with the basic technical knowledge and skills required of entry-level professionals in budget and finance offices, legislative agencies, and other organizations associated with the state-local finance function.<br><br>This area of study familiarizes students with key institutions involved in state-local finance, application of analytical techniques to fiscal issues, and fiscal data sources.<br><br>Among the current research and consulting activities of core faculty are projects involving development of government revenue and expenditure forecasting methods, evaluation of the effects of state and local tax and expenditure limitations, assessing governments' credit-worthiness and ability to finance capital expenditures, state and local financing of environmental infrastructure, financing public employee-benefits, trends in the fiscal condition of central cities, evaluation of the impact of mandates and court orders on local finance, managing local fiscal decisions during the transition to democracy in Eastern Europe, school finance, equity and efficiency, and factors affecting the cost of public services.