Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Evaluating The Presidential Management Fellows Program: Has The Implementation Of A Standardized Assessment Test Altered Student Selection?, Graham Drake

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program aims to attract high-performing graduate students into federal service. Given the measured performance of past participants, or Fellows, many Federal agencies use the PMF Program as a cornerstone of their succession planning. Since its inception in 1977, the PMF Program has used a variety of selection mechanisms to identify and assess candidates. The most recent alteration in the PMF Program‟s selection mechanism in 2007 has raised questions of efficiency. While the implementation of a single standardized test has reduced costs and allowed more candidates to be evaluated, it is unknown if this assessment test …

Tax Collection Methods: Understanding Business Tax Collection And The Psyche Of Evasion, Kara Johnson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

“Taxes are the life-blood of government, and their prompt and certain availability an imperious need (Justice Owen J Roberts, Bull V US 295 U. S. 247 (1935))” (Scharf). Tax collection is necessary to ensure revenues are collected to fund governmental services. States are losing tax revenue for a variety of reasons; this paper explores some of the major factors causing states to lose out on tax revenue. It addresses the tax gap, or unpaid taxes due and the economic inefficiencies caused by tax evasion. It analyzes the psyche of noncompliance in an attempt to discover the most efficient manner of …

A Study Of The Effect Of Economic Policies On The Domestic Film Market, Gyeoreh Lee

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

These days, the U.S. films’ market share in the world is almost 70 percent and many countries have devised various means, including import quota, screen quota, subsidy, and tax concessions to protect the domestic film industry by preserving local film’s market share against U.S. film domination. Retaining these policies has important symbolic reasons because market share of the domestic film is related to preserving each country’s cultural sovereignty. However, the effectiveness of the economic policies is murky. If the policies do not bring any advantageous effect to the domestic film industry, there is no rational justification for sticking with them. …

Should Kentucky Tax Professional Services As A Way To Raise Revenue? An Economic Analysis Of Possible Revenue Options, Meghan Mando

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Currently Kentucky is facing a budget deficit of $108 million dollars for the fiscal year 2010. As some lawmakers search for revenue options, one possibility is to consider a sales tax on professional services.

Professional services are considered any kind of service that requires skill, knowledge, reputation, ethics, and creativity. For the purpose of this study, medical services are not included in this category. Many of the services are infrequent, such as the services of an attorney or an accountant. A professional services tax could be used for both businesses and individuals, or could make businesses tax exempt. As of …

A Study Of The Effects Of Budget-Balancing Practices And Fiscal Policies On State Fiscal Health, Candice Schultheis

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

During times of economic recessions, many states throughout the U.S. may experience budget pressures that impact their overall fiscal health. Kentucky, in particular, has been faced with structural budget imbalances, declining revenue receipts, and spending reductions. Although economic conditions greatly affect states’ abilities to maintain balanced budgets, other factors may contribute to the variation among states’ financial conditions. This study assesses the effect that budget-balancing strategies, processes, and policies have on states’ fiscal health, as measured by state fiscal peril scores reported by the Pew Center on the States and year-end budget balances as a percentage of expenditures estimated by …

Higher Education And The 2007 Recession: Examining The Relationship Between State Agency Structure, Fiscal Support, And The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, Christopher J. Crumrine

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The United States public post-secondary education system varies in its reliance on state support. Some states have a historic predisposition to a private post-secondary education sector, while others have a tradition of strong public institutions. In all cases, public post-secondary relies on state revenue for their general operating and capital budgets. Effective operation in the current fiscal environment requires a clear understanding of different factors affecting a state’s funding level and the challenges presented in periods of slow economic growth.

Over the past six years, higher education, on average, saw positive growth in state support. However, impressive increases in support …