City management and balancing budgets

The program is developed by the former Florida State budget director (former president of the National Association of State Budget Officers) and professor at Florida State University, Mr. Glenn Robertson for Toyo Uniersity to learn the balance budget method.
We will study how to apply this method to Japanese local governments and study how to develop their finances in specific local governments.
Detroit and Yubari case studies can give students ideas of public finance and bankruptcy. There are some differences between the system in Japan and the US, but by learning cases and systems in the US, you can start thinking out of box and reconsider the way local government finance conditions in Japan are. We aim to cultivate basic skills to learn the issues of local government management in Japan, what the future should be, and to solve the challenges.

To understand American city management, balance budget concept and Japanese financial system
To think and propose financial balance methods for Japanese local government (existing or fictitious)

1. Balance budget in the US
2. The state of Florida's balance budget
3. Local government case study, balance budget study
4. Budgeting, focus and goals in US local government
5. Roles of state and budgeting office
6. Robertson's balanced budget (6 steps of balance budget)
7. Robertson's balanced budget (6 steps of balance budget) Cont'd
8. Budget case study of Oakland, California
9. Balance budget research of Japanese local governments
10.Increasing revenue
11.Reducing expenditures and management of funds
12. Priority-based budgeting
13. Outcome-based payment, social impact bond etc.
14. Report on balance budget of Japanese local governments by students
15. Research report continued

* Subject to change based on the students' interests

Lecture and discussion

If a students lack of knowledge of local government finance, reading some books on basic public finace

Participation and contricution for the class (60%) and presentation (40%)

None
Students do not need to be city official.

Text will be districuted to students.

White paper on Local finance (can be downloaded from the internet)
"Chihou Gyousei (local public finance)"