The study of public financial management is essential to improving the practice of public management and to our understanding of the politics and organization of public institutions. As a study of the practice of public management, the literature of public financial management closely scrutinizes developing trends and standards in various areas of expertise, such as budgeting, accounting, and taxation. As a study of politics and organization of public institutions, the literature of public financial management examines the salience of financial resources and their management in the allocation and use of political authority.

This four-volume set aims to address the sophistication and breadth of issues in this fast-developing area of study, bringing together seminal works on both practice-centric research and research that speaks to broader public management concerns. Above all this major work represents an invaluable resource which can be used to educate readers toward the practice and institutional affects of public financial management.