Faculty Contact Information:
William (Bill) Keller
Mailing Address: U of Maryland, PSC 819 Box 54, FPO AE 09645
DSN Phone: 727-2993 (UMUC Rota)
Email Address: wkeller@faculty.ed.umuc.edu or billkelofumd@hotmail.com
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Consultation:
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Contact me by e-mail or telephone for a virtual or real conference.
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Required Texts and Readings:
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Text used exclusively for this course--
Hyman, D.N. 2008. Public finance: A contemporary application of theory to policy (9th ed.). Fort Worth: Dryden Press.
Text used in multiple courses--
American Pyschological Association. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington D.C.: Author.
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Supplementary Readings:
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All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.
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Recommended Journals:
Public Finance Review
Journal of Public Finance and Public Choice
Government Finance Review
Public Budgeting & Finance
Journal of Public Economics
Budget and economic outlook
Government finance review
Public finance quarterly
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Course Description:
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Prerequisites: ECON 201 Principles of Economics-Macro and ECON 203 Principles of Economics-Micro, or ECON 505, or equivalent, and undergraduate American political science or American government, or permission of the Program Director. An analysis of the elements, structure, functions, and processes of public finance. This course covers theory and practice of the allocation, distribution, and stabilization roles of the government at national, state, and local levels.
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Course Goals:
As one of three courses required for the Policy track of the MPA, this course is designed to assist students in acquiring the knowledge and analytical skills commonly used in policy analysis. Upon completion of the course, participants should have a working knowledge of:
- The rationale for the economic activity of the government in a capitalistic economy,
- The structure, sources, functions, and trends of U.S. public funds,
- The role of federal, state, and local governments in resource allocation, distribution, and stabilization policies, and how these governments interrelate with regard to funding,
- The specific structure of the U.S. personal and corporate income tax structure,
- The nature of the federal deficit and debt, and how economic policy decisions are both constrained by and affect both, and
- How economic analysis influences various models of policy analysis.
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Analyze how a market system operates with government influence,
- Evaluate issues of market failure such as externalities and public goods,
- Critique government policies that effect the market economy and propose modifications to existing policies or new policies,
- Analyze how policy decisions are influenced by and influence the complex nature of the federal/state/local environments and the business/government environment,
- Utilize government-provided data to evaluate economic performance when developing or analyzing policy,
- Prepare written economic critiques of existing public policies and propose new policies based on economic considerations,
- Incorporate visual and mathematical economic analysis in written economic critiques of policy decisions, and
- Present orally an economic criticism of a new publicp policy for review by peers.
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Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
- A 90%
- B 80 – 89%
- C 70 – 79%
- F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center.
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Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
- Participate in classroom discussions 20%
- Write graduate level papers or case studies 30%
- Orally/visually present prepared material 20%
- Complete one written examination(s) 30%
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Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner. Usually this requires two to three hours of additional for every hour of a face-to-face class and approximately ten hours of preparation per week for a DE class.
Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In a face-to-face course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In a DE class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary to successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used for this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
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Course Schedule:
Week of 14 - 20 April
Introductions
PART 1: THE ECONOMIC BASIS FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY.
Chapter 1. Individuals and Government.
Chapter 2. Efficiency, Markets, and Governments.
Discussion Questions
Submission Assignment
Week of 21 - 27 April
PART 1: THE ECONOMIC BASIS FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY.
Chapter 3. Externalities and Government Policy.
Chapter 4. Public Goods.
Discussion Questions
Submission Assignment
Week of 28 April - 4 May
PART 1: THE ECONOMIC BASIS FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY.
Chapter 5. Public Choice and the Political Process.
Discussion Questions
Submission Assignment
Case Study For Part 1
Week of 5 - 11 May
PART 2: GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES AND POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES: SELECTED ISSUES.
Chapter 6. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Government Investments.
Chapter 7. Government Subsidies and Income Support for the Poor.
Discussion Questions
Submission Assignment
Week of 12 - 18 May
PART 2: GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES AND POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES: SELECTED ISSUES.
Chapter 8. Social Security and Social Insurance.
Chapter 9. Government and Health Care.
Discussion Questions
Case Study for Part 2
Week of 19 - 25 May
PART 3: FINANCING GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES.
Chapter 10. Introduction to Government Finance.
Discussion Questions
Submission Assignment
Week of 26 May - 1 June
PART 3: FINANCING GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES.
Chapter 11. Taxation, Prices, Efficiency, and the Distribution of Income. Chapter 12. Budget Balance and Government Debt.
Discussion Questions
Submission Assignment
Week of 2 - 8 June
PART 4: TAXATION: THEORY AND STRUCTURE.
Chapter 13. The Theory of Income Taxation.
Chapter 14. Taxation of Personal Income in the United States.
Discussion Questions
Case Study for Part 4
Week of 9 - 15 June
Part 5: STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE
Chapter 18. Fiscal Federalism and State and Local Government Finance
Discussion Questions
Online Final Exam in classroom on Wednesday June 11 due on Sunday June 15
Note: Assigned material for discussion will be given in classroom.
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Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.
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Faculty Bio:
Bill Keller has his MBA from the University of Maine and a BBA in
Accounting from the University of Massachusetts. He has two years of
Doctoral studies in Accounting at Ohio State University with minors in Industrial Engineering and Statistics. He is originally from Rockland, Massachusetts that is midway between Boston and Plymouth.
He has been teaching with the University of Maryland - European Division since 1989. During that time, he has taught at Military Education Centers in Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia, England, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Turkey and Spain. He has prior teaching experience at Kent State University, the University of Toledo, Framingham (Mass)State College and Massasoit Community College.
He has prior work experience in both Public Accounting (CPA) and Private Accounting before entering the academic environment. During that time he had a successful small (only 2 horses) harness racing stable although was more successful when he was not the horse trainer. Professor Keller spent 3 years in the US Army with tours in Germany and Vietnam. Sports of all types are an interest area. Favorite team is the Boston Red Sox and roots for all Boston teams.
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