GFOA Audio Insights: Budgeting is Better with Rhythm
Life needs rhythm. The human body has a heart rhythm, circadian sleep-wake rhythm, breathing rhythm, and more. Being in rhythm is key to a long and healthy life. Local government budget offices also need to establish a rhythm for the internal budget process. A lack of rhythm can lead to two big problems. Listen to this new research to learn how the City of Brighton, Colorado, created a rhythm for the internal budget process and how you can too.
--------
20:17
GFOA Audio Insights: Budget Games
Our new research delves into the tactics or “games" used by participants in the budget process to secure more resources. The most common such game is "The Padding Play", where budget requestors inflate their needs. Listen to learn more on how to contain and even defeat these tactics.
--------
46:36
GFOA Audio Insights: Budget Officer as the Decision Architect
Organizations benefit from decision architecture. Budget officers can be the decision architects of local governments by building on four job responsibilities that allow them to reduce the impact of well-known problems of bias and noise in human decision processes. Listen to learn more.
--------
18:08
GFOA Audio Insights: Power, Politics, and Budgeting
“Power politics” is the use of power for selfish gain at the expense of broader community. This is incompatible with the purpose of local government budgeting. However, the finance officer can “change the game” and redirect the energy of power politics to more constructive ends. Listen to this research to learn how.
--------
34:36
GFOA Audio Insights: Simplifying Complexity
Reality is complex; mental models simplify it. A mental model is a tool that helps us make sense of the world and manage complexity and large amounts of information. For example, in public finance, thinking of reserves or rainy-day funds as a government’s savings account is a mental model. This approach simplifies the complex idea of fund balances by comparing it to something familiar from everyday life.
This report will explain how you can use mental models to enhance understanding and decision-making in public finance.
USA