A new article at “Governing,” written by ABFM Executive Committee Member Craig Maher, provides several examples of the commitment by our organization and fellow members to strengthen connections between researchers, academics, and practitioners towards improving public financial management.
Maher’s piece highlighted the work of our research journal, Public Budgeting & Finance, as well as our recent Annual Conference in Washington, DC. His examples included numerous sessions oriented towards practical application
“This year’s sessions leaned hard into problems finance officers are living with right now rather than settled ones,” Maher wrote. “…These weren’t retrospective case studies built years after the fact. They were researchers working the same live problems finance officers are working right now, often before a state association or a practitioner journal has caught up to the question.”
Lessons were also shared during a Plenary Session, organized by our journal partners, the American Association for Budget & Program Analysis (AABPA), reviewing the efforts Washington, DC, took to recover from a serious financial crisis in the mid-1990’s. The panel included former Washington CFO and Mayor, Anthony Williams.
“This year, we undertook a meaningful experiment in bringing academics and practitioners together—an endeavor three years in the making,” stated ABFM Chair, Elaine Yi Lu. “One of my takeaways from this journey is that bridging academic expertise and professional practice does not happen by chance. It requires intentional effort, sustained engagement, and a shared commitment to learning from one another.”
Craig’s article is available online by clicking here to visit Governing.com.