Strategy, priority-setting, and municipal capital budget reform: Three cases from the great recession

Abstract

I examine three recent cases where local governments changed their processes for selecting capital projects. The central question is whether these changes institutionalized a more “strategic” outlook in capital improvement planning and budgeting for these jurisdictions? The findings suggest that local governments can set capital priorities strategically, but that the process of implementing those reforms must be adaptable to changing political circumstances. These findings add to the limited literature on the political, administrative, and other challenges that local governments must confront when reforming their capital improvement planning and budgeting processes.

Citation

Marlowe, J. (2013), "Strategy, priority-setting, and municipal capital budget reform: Three cases from the great recession", Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 693-718. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-25-04-2013-B006