Daniel P. Tuite, MPA
Rutgers University SPAA
Analysis & Critical Thinking
"In God we trust. All others must bring data."
- W. Edwards Deming -
Public Budgeting Systems
The fiscal needs and decisions of public organizations differ from their private counterparts. Public budgetary systems are designed to not only facilitate the proper allocation of public funds but also to establish frameworks of fiscal responsibility and accountability. Government budgets are not just tools for fiscal measurement, they are also governing and policy documents that publicly express the actions and priorities of the governments that prepare them. While often intricate and detailed, public budget documents allow insight into government systems. Understanding the budget process and how to interpret budget documents is an important element of analysis in public administration. The following is a comprehensive review and analysis of the budgetary systems and trajectory of the City of Yonkers, New York. This budget analysis was prepared for the Summer 2020 Public Budgeting System course.
Performance Measurement and Reporting in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
Data assessment is an important aspect of understanding service provision in public and nonprofit organizations. Collecting and compiling data on services and clients is an important first step in assessing organizational impact. Data alone are not enough to achieve this. The data need to be analyzed and interpreted in order to draw conclusions about an organization's or program's effectiveness. These interpretations and conclusions can become the foundation of performance measurement and organizational strategy. Critical thinking and skills of analysis are needed to make data work for an organization and avoid the trap of collecting data for the sake of having data which is a waste of potential benefits and organizational resources. The attached works include a mock memorandum and video presentation of an impact data analysis of the Cardinal McCloskey Community Services organization. Both works were prepared for the Spring 2021 Performance Measurement and Reporting course.