Understanding Public Financial Management: How Is Your Money Spent?

via

Future Learn

Course Features

Duration

4 weeks

Delivery Method

Online

Available on

Lifetime Access

Accessibility

Mobile, Desktop

Language

English

Subtitles

English

Level

Intermediate

Effort

4 hours per week

Teaching Type

Self Paced

Course Description

What effect does the Covid-19 epidemic have on the public finances of governments What went wrong with Greece's handling its public debt? How can a city like Detroit become bankrupt? How could the theft, looting and corruption that took place in Malawi's cashgate be avoided? Everybody is concerned about where their money goes. All of us want safe roads, schools, thriving industries, national security, and good roads. But how do we ensure that public funds are properly managed? And how can we hold those responsible accountable?

This online course is free and will give you the tools and knowledge to understand and assess the management of public sector financial resources, no matter where you may be. We'll use the expertise of SOAS, University of London's Centre for Financial and Management Studies to help us look at:

Course Overview

Alumni Network

International Faculty

Post Course Interactions

Instructor-Moderated Discussions

Skills You Will Gain

What You Will Learn

Discuss how auditing is conducted in public sector organisations

Explain how governments raise finance through various means

Explain how the budget process works at national and sub-national levels

Explore and understand the basics of public financial management

Explore how public sector organisations are held accountable to the public

Interpret and reflect on simple public sector financial statements

Target Students

This course would also be of interest to those already working in public sector management or simply looking for a better understanding of contemporary financial issues

This is a general level course, however some knowledge of economics, political science, or accounting may be useful

Course Content

Expand all sections

Module 1: Understanding financial statements: an examination of the information contained in common accounting terms

Module 2: Fiscal imbalances: causes and consequences

Module 3: Understanding public sector spending: how governments spend public money to implement public policies and execute programmes and projects

Module 4: Planning and budgeting: an analysis of how public expenditure decisions are made

Course Instructors

Alberto Asquer

Instructor

I am lecturer in Public Policy and Management at SOAS University of London. I do research on the management of public sector entities, public financial management, and regulation.