Essential History for Public Administration offers public affairs faculty and students a concise introduction to crucial elements of American history, creating a foundation for stronger discussion of current conditions in governance and management. It is designed as a brief supplemental text for use in public affairs courses rather than as a replacement for core assigned readings. The premise of the book is that enhanced knowledge of the history of the public sector can help students of public affairs design and manage successful programs.

Praise for Essential History for Public Administration

“Richard Box’s new book, Essential History for Public Administration, is the most exciting development I have seen in readings for public administration students in some time! It is a compelling and accessible read, perfect for busy in-service students, pre-service, and those within all stages of the Digital Age.

The book is organized brilliantly, weaving common themes through four eras of change, from the Founding Era to the present time. This narrative format is pedagogically sound, allowing the reader to grasp the relevance to our twenty-first-century realities, as well as to understand that some of the issues wrestled within the Founding Era are reflected in today’s discourse. 

Many of us bemoan the lack of U.S. history and civic education in our country. Box’s book successfully addresses that situation, providing much needed historical context in an engaging fashion. I expect this book to enjoy wide appeal to PA faculty in a variety of PA courses, at the baccalaureate level as well as the advanced degree level.”

—Laurie DiPadova-Stocks, Park University

“Since the founding, Americans have been wary about government and unelected bureaucrats. This book provides a nuanced understanding of the role and position of government in American society, showing how much people actually benefited from public services. It shows how issues about balancing the public and private sectors, the size and cost of government, the distribution of economic and political power, and of migration have played out from Independence up to the present day. This well-written and accessible book will make good reading for students, citizens, and those who work in the public sector.”

—Jos C.N. Raadschelders, The Ohio State University

“Essential History for Public Administration is an insightful text about the founding of public administration management. Contextualized across four time periods (the Founding Era, the Progressive Era, the New Deal, and the Great Society), each discussion provides the reader with the social and political context necessary to understand the evolution of the field. Common themes (public versus private interests, concentrated wealth and power, the size and cost of government, and insiders and outsiders) are threaded throughout the book to demonstrate how these concepts have transformed over time. Richard Box has written an informative, concise, and approachable text that can be used by any person interested in public administration.”

—Brandi Blessett, Rutgers University–Camden

The Sixth Edition of Public Budgeting in America explains budgetary theory and practice, with a linkage to financial management, at all levels of government in the U.S. It is designed as a primary text for students in public administration and policy, and also serves as an invaluable reference for scholars, practitioners and other readers interested in public budgeting and financial management.

Each chapter begins with a budgeting scenario and an introduction of major topics, followed by detailed discussion of each topic, and concludes with a revisit of the opening scenario, a list of review questions, additional case exercises, and references, all of which are integral to the book. Readers are encouraged to apply what they learn in each chapter, analyze the cases, answer the review questions, and expand their research based on the references provided at the end of each chapter.

New to This Edition

In response to recent budgetary developments, the Sixth Edition has been extensively revised, with all-new coverage on:

• n       changes in monetary and fiscal policies in the twenty-first century (Chapter 2);

• n       recent performance management initiatives (Chapter 3);

• n       federal budget deficits and policy changes under the Bush and Obama administrations (Chapter 3);

• n       government revenue and expenditure forecasting (Chapter 5);

• n       Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (Chapter 7) -- completely rewritten in accordance with GASB changes;

• n       Social Impact Bonds, a new type of debt instrument with an unusual approach to paying off bonds (Chapter 8);

• n       challenges faced by government in funding public employee pensions (Chapter 10).

Praise for Public Budgeting in America

“A thorough knowledge of budgeting is a sure path to advancement in the public and non-profit sectors. Lynch, Sun, and Smith provide students with an excellent foundation. Public Budgeting in America is easy to understand and provides useful real-world exercises.” (James Douglas, University of North Carolina at Charlotte)

“Public Budgeting in America provides an excellent introduction to the practice of budgeting.” (Daniel Williams, Baruch College, CUNY)

“This is a classic -- maybe the classic book on US budgeting. If I had to pick one book to give to a person wanting to know how budgeting works, it would be this one. Not only does it give practical guidance, it gives a rich context so the reader will really understand our system.”  (John R. Bartle (Dean, College of Public Affairs and Community Service, University of Nebraska Omaha)

Rethinking Public Administration

The Case for Management

Second Edition