Understanding Public Financial Management

How Is Your Money Spent?

Alberto Asquer, Boying Xu, and Priyal Perera

We are all concerned about where “our” money goes. We all want good roads and schools, thriving industry, and personal and national security, but how can we be sure that public monies are being managed properly, and how can we hold those in charge to account?

Understand and evaluate the management of public finances

This free online course will provide you with the knowledge and tools to understand and evaluate the management of financial resources across the public sector, wherever you are.

Drawing on the expertise of the Centre for Financial and Management Studies at SOAS, University of London, we’ll look at:

how governments and public sector organisations obtain financial resources through taxation, fees, charges, natural resources and other means;
how public sector organisations decide to use financial resources for attaining public policy goals and implementing public programmes;
how public sector organisations report their financial performance to the public;
how the use of public financial resources is audited;
and how governments are made accountable for their financial decisions.

By the end of the four-week course, you will be able to:

understand the basics of public financial management;
read simple public sector financial statements;
explain how governments raise finance through various means;
explain how the budget process works at national and sub-national levels;
understand how auditing is conducted in public sector organisations;
and understand how public sector organisations are held accountable to the public.

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Reviews summary

Financial management essentials

This course introduces learners to the basics of public financial management. Through a high-level approach, learners explore sources of public funding and policies for using those funds. The course also covers reporting and auditing as well as how governments are held accountable for financial decisions.

Course teaches high-level concepts.

"It's good for the very high level conceptual nature."

Entire course can be completed in an evening.

"Can do a whole week in an evening."

Would be improved with a reference guide.

"Would be much much better if the expert teachers at least shared a reference guide with readings giving a sense of where the current debate is on the various topics -- for those industrious who want to engage the complexities they introduce."

Activities

Coming soon We're preparing activities for Understanding Public Financial Management: How Is Your Money Spent?. These are activities you can do either before, during, or after a course.

Career center

Learners who complete Understanding Public Financial Management: How Is Your Money Spent? will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers: