Customer Reviews

Fiscal Administration: Analysis and Applications for the Public Sector

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I use this book in a public budgeting graduate class. For people with limited knowledge of public budgeting or fiscal administration in general, this book leaves much to be desired. A certain base knowledge is required and one must be able to decode the private language of budget scholars to understand the writings. Examples are frequently presented with no clear connection to the text. This book is regarded as one of the best, but I would not recommend it for anyone without prior knowledge of the subject or to someone looking for a quick and easy explanation of budgeting.

Public Budgeting Systems by Robert D. Lee, Philip G. Joyce, and Ronald Wayne Johnson is written more clearly... if you have a choice, buy this book. The problem with Mikesell is that he has to write 200 pages (six chapters) to explain the concept of revenues in the budget process. Too many trees were wasted in the development of this book. Lee, Joyce, and Johnson can do this in 40 pages.

The greater majority of my Public Budgeting Systems class at George Mason University feels that the Mikesell book is written in a manner to lull oneself to sleep... the benefit is that one could read the book rather than using drugs to induce sleep.

However, if you are required to purchase the Mikesell book, you should go to the Amazon UK web site and complete your transaction there... you can save yourself about 70 to 80 dollars.

Are you looking for this book for your MPA course? Save some money and buy an older edition. They're all the same!!!

I am currently using this book for a graduate-level public budgeting course for a ranked MPA program. Mikesell's textbook is a poorly written, discursive and convoluted in scope. There are several basic grammatical errors in this textbook, and this is coming from someone whose first language is not English. The end-of-chapter computational problems are difficult to complete because nowhere in the chapters does the author explain how to do the problems.

There is also too much information crammed into each paragraph; I'm lucky if I can read three pages in a row in one sitting. The author does not write well; he uses too many block quotes and lists (e.g, (1), (2), (3)...). Therefore, this book does not read well, and the information he tries to provide does not register in the mind.

Most of my classmates have the same complaints as the ones I listed above. This book agitating for many to read, even for someone with a fairly solid economic background. Therefore, I'd strongly recommend not to use this book if at all possible.

But to balance out this criticism with some good points, the first chapter is relatively easy to read and useful.

Dr. Mikesell brings a clear understanding to fiscal administration. I like how he breaks down information relating to fiscal administration from a federal, state and local perspective.

This was one of two books assigned for the public finance & budget course in my MPP program, along with Schick's book dealing exclusively with the federal budget (I recommend that one too, actually).

Frankly I'm a little stunned by some of these negative reviews, as my experience with this book hasn't matched theirs whatsoever. I think the author does an excellent job of conveying critical concepts about budgeting and budget development. He spends a fair amount of time on budgeting processes and practices at both the federal and subnational levels. The information is readily digestible and easily internalized, which is partly a testament to the book's organization.

It can be a bit long-winded at times, but let's face it, how many textbook authors aren't? If you have little background in budgeting (like me), this is a good book with which to navigate the budgetary waters for the first time. Perhaps the greatest testament I can offer is that the book SIGNIFICANTLY enhanced my appreciation for and ability to engage with the process surrounding President Obama's first budget this past spring.

To the reviewer who complained that the calculations for the exercises were too hard: it's not a math book and nor should it be, simply because, as Mikesell points out, budgeting is more than crunching numbers. It's a political and policy process. Plus - and I mean this seriously - the calculations should be easy for anyone who's had high school algebra. I mean come on already.

This edition will not download to my either of my kindles. It only gives me an option to my Ipad. Improperly posted.

As an ousider to the political science field, this book laid the proper path to an easy understanding of fiscal management in the public sector. The subject was presented in an organized way, wtih sidebars filling in the practical aspect of such book-learning process. Readers, inside and outside the field, will benefit from reading this book.

For a very dry and tedious subject, the author has a done a great job in simplifying the topics and presenting it in a way that keeps the reader interested while craving for more details. There are not very many books on this subject and this one definetly does the justice in terms of clarity and thoroughness.

I didn't get the book until 20 days after delivery. Way too long compared to other services. I got books I ordered the same day, 5 business days after placing the order.

Overall, Im pleased with the condition of the book.