Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Can Transparency Transform Governments? : Effects Of Financial Information Disclosure On Management, Citizens, And Elected Officials, Hyewon Kang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Financial information disclosure affects decision makings of important stakeholders of financial management in governments. Financial information disclosure can operate as an accountability tool by reducing? the information asymmetry between governments and citizens. Using data from U.S. state and local governments, this dissertation examines how financial information disclosure affects decisions made by local government managers, citizens, and elected officials. The first essay examines whether setting financial performance targets by state governments improves local governments’ financial performance. Using the framework developed from the performance management literature, the study tests the effectiveness of New York State’s fiscal stress monitoring system. The second essay …

Three Essays On Fiscal Stress And Financial Stability In State Government Finance, James B. Gibson

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

State government finance is a substantial endeavor in the United States. The management of a multitude of revenues and expenditures often involves some level of fiscal stress. In an age of increased public scrutiny, policymakers must be mindful of possible causes of fiscal stress, and the policy options available to mitigate fiscal stress and increase financial stability. This dissertation contains three essays that examine different elements of fiscal stress, and in some cases, the applicable policy responses.

Chapter two examines rainy day funds and their countercyclical goal of reducing recessionary fiscal stress. This essay takes a different approach from much …