Established in 2014, the Center for State and Local Finance (CSLF) has for more than a decade developed the people and ideas for next-generation public finance by bringing together the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ (AYSPS) nationally ranked faculty and the broader public finance community. The center conducts rigorous, nonpartisan research on tax policy and reform, budget and financial management, education finance, economic development, and revenue forecasting.
Additionally, CSLF provides premier executive education in public finance for state and local finance officials and works with state and local partners on fiscal and economic technical assistance projects. Students from AYSPS graduate programs, as well as other schools and colleges across Georgia State, also participate in CSLF's Public Finance Fellowship, which offers real-world fiscal and economic policy experience alongside the center's senior research associates.
In addition to its research mission, CSLF delivers premier executive education through its Certificate in Public Financial Management program, equipping government professionals with practical tools for sound fiscal decision-making. The center also provides applied technical assistance to governments across Georgia and beyond, including revenue forecasting, cityhood feasibility studies, and financial management support.
This archive is organized around topic areas in which CSLF has substantial research output, including related presentations for conferences and lectures.
Note that the Feasibility or Cityhood Studies section contains material produced by the Fiscal Research Center (FRC) before the creation of CSLF, which then took over these studies. Feasibility or cityhood studies evaluate whether a geographic area in Georgia wishing to incorporate into a new city would have appropriate revenues to cover its intended expenditures.
Similarly, the Kenny A Consent Decree section contains documents begun under FRC and then transitioned to CSLF. The Kenny A Consent Decree requires the monitoring of conditions in Georgia's foster care system through various measures in response to a 2002 class action lawsuit filed against the State of Georgia on behalf of children in the state’s legal custody.
The Volcker Alliance Research stems from multi-year evaluations of state-level budgeting practices performed alongside the Volcker Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to restore the public's trust in government and empower the public-sector workforce to solve national challenges.
Note: CSLF and FRC have overlapping research areas. If you cannot find a document in one archive, check the other or use the PFRC homepage's search of all archive material.