Publications

 Research Track I: Infrastructure Finance, Governance, and Policy 

1.     Chen, Can., & Jorge Martinez. 2024. “Fiscal Decentralization and Public Infrastructure Maintenance Expenditures: A Cross-Country Panel Analysis.”  Public Finance and Management.  https://doi.org/10.1177/152397212412431.

2.    Chen, Can, W. Bartley Hildreth, and Keith Jacobi*. 2023. “Why Did States Fail to Take Control Over City-Owned Airports? A Tale of Three Cities.” Journal of Air Transport Management. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969699723000662

3.    Chen, Can. 2023. “New Insights for Managing the Public Finance Aspects of Climate-Resilient Infrastructure System”. A Chapter for the Book of Research Handbook of Public Financial Management, edited by Drs. Komla Dzibgede and W. Bartley Hildreth. Lexington Publisher.

4.    Chen, Can and John R. Bartle. 2022. “Innovative Infrastructure Finance—A Guide for State and Local Governments.” Palgrave Macmillan Press. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-91411-0

This book was favorably reviewed by Dr. Martin Mayer and Lauren Wargo in the Journal of Public Works Management and Policy as well as Dr. Laiyang Ke in the Journal of Public Finance and Management. 

5.    Chen, Can and Richard G. Little. 2022. “Symposium Introduction: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary Collaboration Between ASPA Section on Transportation Policy and Administration and Public Works Management & Policy”.  Public Works Management & Policy. [Guest Editorial] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1087724X221102304

6.    Chen, Can, Min Su, and Ping Zhang. 2022. “What Drives States to Raise Gas Tax Rates? An Empirical Analysis.” Public Works Management and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221092433

7.    Chen, Can and Carol A. Ebdon. 2021. “Accounting and Financial Reporting Practices for Capital Assets Impairment in U.S. State and Local Governments”. Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Technical Report.

8.    Wang, X*. and Can Chen. 2021. “An Empirical Analysis of Capital Assets Condition Ratio in Local Governments: The Case of Florida Counties.” Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-01-2021-0013

9.    Chen, Can and Carla A. Flink. 2022. “Budgetary Changes and Organizational Performance: Evidence from State Transportation Agencies.”  Policy Studies Journal 50(3): 595-613.

10. Carla A. Flink and Can Chen. 2021. “Financial Resources, Management Capacity, and Organizational Performance: Evidence from State Transportation Agencies.” Public Performance & Management Review 44(6): 1341-1366.

11. Chen, Can and Whitney B. Afonso. 2021. “The Time of Adoption of Local Option Fuel Taxes: Evidence from Florida Counties.”  Public Budgeting & Finance, 41(1): 51-75.

12. Chen, Can, Ken A. Kriz, and Shuanglin Lin. 2020.  “Strategic Interaction in Urban Infrastructure Finance: A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Chinese Prefecture-Level Cities.”  Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Working Paper. https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/working-papers/strategic-interaction-in-urban-infrastructure-finance

13. Chen, Can, Cheol Liu, and JK Lee*. 2020. “Corruption and the Quality of Transportation Infrastructure: Evidence from the US States”. International Review of Administrative Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852320953184

14. Chen, Can, *Yanbing Han, and Howard A. Frank. 2020. “What Drives Municipal Capital Investment: A Long Panel Data Analysis of US Central Cities”. State and Local Government Review, 51(3): 168-178.

15. Chen, Can. 2018. “A Bigger Bang for Public Buck: A Non-Parametric Efficiency Analysis of State Highway Infrastructure.” Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 30(3): 270-285.

16. Chen, Can and John R. Bartle. 2017. “Infrastructure Financing: A Guide for Local Government Managers”. National Policy White Paper for ICMA and GFOA. (Media Coverage: Yahoo Finance News; Governing Magazine, Public Works Magazine, ABC 7 News; FOX 5 KVVU-TV News, Alliance for Innovation, Florida Counties of Association, etc.). Downloads: 8,000. https://icma.org/documents/infrastructure-financing-guide-local-government-managers

17. Chen, Can. 2018. “Public Infrastructure Finance: An Introduction.”  Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 30(2):126-134. [Guest Editorial]

18. *Kim, Jiseul, Can Chen, and Carol A. Ebdon. 2018. “Effects of the GASB No. 34 Infrastructure Reporting Standards on State Highway Infrastructure Quality: A Panel Data Analysis.” Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 30(2): 191-210.

19. Chen, Can. 2018. “Maximizing Efficiency in State Infrastructure Finance: The Role of Competition, Citizen Monitoring Capacity, and Institutions.” American Review of Public Administration, 48(8): 915-928.

20. Chen, Can and Charles Menifield. 2017. “An Ecological Study on Means of Transportation to Work and Obesity: Evidence from U.S. States.” Transport Policy, 59: 174-180.

21. Chen, Can. 2017. “Does Money Matter for Infrastructure Outcomes? The Effects of Public Infrastructure Finance on State Infrastructure Quality.” Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 29(3): 375-408.

22. Chen, Can. 2016. “Effects of Fiscal Stress on State Highway Finance: A Composite Index Approach.” Municipal Finance Journal, 37(2):1-28.

23. Chen, Can. 2016. “Banking on Infrastructure: Exploring the Fiscal Impacts of State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) Loans on Leveraging State and Local Transportation Investment.” Public Budgeting & Finance, 36(3): 94-113.

24. Chen, Can, Ken A. Kriz, and Qiushi Wang. 2016. “How Does the Health of Transportation Infrastructure Affect State Credit Ratings: An Empirical Analysis.” Public Finance Review, 44(5): 660-680.

25. Chen, Can. 2016. “Bond Banks, Infrastructure Banks, and State Revolving Funds–Innovative Infrastructure Financing Tools.” In Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Policy (Budgeting and Finance Section), edited by Daniel L. Smith and Jonathan B. Justice. New York: Taylor & Francis Group Press.

26. Chen, Can. 2015. “Measuring State Highway Sustainability: Taking the Fiscal Dimension into Account.” Public Works Management & Policy, 19(3): 255-276.

27. Bartle, John R. and Can Chen. 2014. “Future Issues in State Transportation Finance”, In Sustaining the States: The Fiscal Viability of American State Governments (American Society of Public Administration Series in Public Administration and Public Policy), edited by Willoughby, Katherine G., and Rubin, Marilyn. New York: Taylor & Francis Group Press.

28. Leunberger, Deniz Z., John R. Bartle, and Can Chen. 2014. “Transportation and Sustainability.”  Public Works Management & Policy, 19(4): 316-321.

29. Chen, Can. 2013. “Taking the Future Seriously: Towards a More Sustainable Highway Transportation System.”. PA Times. https://patimes.org/future-sustainable-highway-transportation-system/

Research Track II:  Fiscal Transparency & Disaster Finance

1.    Song, X. Can Chen, and Liu. J. 2024. “Do Fiscal Rules Tame Political Taxation Cycles Under Authoritarian Regimes: Evidence from China’s New Budget Law”. Public Performance and Management Review (Forthcoming). 

2.    Zhang, P., Shi, Y. Can Chen, and Zhuge. A.* 2024. “Measuring and Benchmarking Fiscal Health: A Study of Chinese Provincial Governments”. International Journal of Public Administration. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01900692.2024.2357116?src=

3.    Chen, Can. Shiyang Xiao*, and Boyuan Zhao*. 2023. “Machine learning meets the Journal of Public Budgeting and Finance: Topics and trends over 40 years" Public Budgeting & Finance. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbaf.12348

This paper was recognized by Wiley for over 500 views.

4.    Zhang, P., Can Chen, and Shi, Y. 2022. “Crisis Severity, Fiscal Capacity, and COVID-19 Spending: A Cross-Country Analysis” International Public Management Journal. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10967494.2022.2120938?src=&journalCode=upmj20

5.    Shi, Y. Can Chen, and S. Park. 2022. “Managing the Fiscal Strategies of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis of Four Countries: China, Italy, South Korea, and U.S.” Chinese Public Administration Review. https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/9GKBKVNENFMS6MKGRZPQ/full

6.    Chen, Can, Shi Yu, Ping Zhang, and Chengri Ding. 2021. “A Cross-Country Comparison of National Fiscal Policy Responses to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.” Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, 23(2): 262-273.

7.    Hai Guo and Can Chen. 2021. “Forecasting Revenue Impacts from COVID-19: The Case of Florida Municipalities.” State and Local Government Review, 53(1): 78-88.

8.    Chen, Can and Milena I. Neshkova. 2020. “The Impact of Fiscal Transparency on Corruption: A Cross-Country Panel Data Analysis.” Public Administration, 98(1): 226-243.  Cited by Transparency International https://www.u4.no/publications/the-impact-of-public-financial-management-interventions-on-corruption.pdf

9.    Miao, Qing, Can Chen, Yi Lu, and Miachel, Abrigo. 2020. “Fiscal Impact of Natural Disasters on Public Finance: Evidence from Chinese Provincial Governments.” Public Finance Review, 48(1): 72-101.

10. Chen, Can and Yanbing Han*. 2019. “Following the Money: Exploring the Political Determinants of E-Fiscal Transparency in U.S. States.” Public Management Review, 21(5): 732-754.

11. Chen, Can. 2012. “Educating Citizens Online about Budgeting: An Empirical Evaluation of Web-based Citizens’ Guides to the Budget in Local Governments in the US.” In the Proceedings of 2012 International Conference on Public Administration Proceedings (edited by Zhu Xiao-Ning & Zhao Shu-Rong). Chengdu, China: UESTC Press.

Research Track III: Public Management & Policy Approaches to Public Budgeting & Finance Research: Transparency, Corruption, & Punctuated Equilibrium Theory

1.    Milena Neshkova, and Can Chen. 2024 (Forthcoming). "Public Participation and Government Distributional Spending". Public Management Review.

2.    Vernise Estorcien, Can Chen, Milena Neshkova, and Apu Deb. (2024). “Female County Commissioners and Redistributive Spending”. American Review of Public Administration, 54(7): 664-678.

3.    Xu, G., Huo, L., Can Chen. 2023. “Does Legitimacy Affect the Collaborative Regulation in the Food Safety Administration? Evidence from China”. Public Performance and Management Review 46(3): 691-714.

4.    Chen, Can, Boadu, D. B*. and R. Xiao. 2022. “Mask or No Mask for COVID-19: Do the Individual Characteristics of Governors Affect the Adoption of Statewide Public Mask Mandates?” Public Performance and Management Review 45(5): 1214-1234.

5.    Chen, Can and Sukumar Ganapati. 2023. “Do Transparency Mechanisms Reduce Government Corruption? A Meta-Analysis.” International Review of Administrative Sciences 89(1): 257-272.

Received The Third Best Article Award among All Articles Published in IRAS in 2023

6.    Chen, Can, A. Bryce Hoflund, and Carol A. Ebdon. 2021. “Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Short-Term Collaborative Networks: A Case Study of Communities Putting Prevention to Work Nutrition Initiatives in Douglas County, NE.” A Chapter for the Book of Food Policy and Politics: The Role of the Administrative State in the U.S. Food System, edited by A. Bryce Hoflund, John C. Jones, and Michelle C. Pautz. Lexington Publisher.

7.    Chen, Can and Shaoming Cheng. 2019. “The Effects of Corruption and Regulation on Business Entrepreneurship: Evidence from American States.” Public Performance & Management Review, 42(6): 1481-1506.

8.    Traynor, Mark, Can Chen, and Miranda Kitterlin. 2019. “Contracting for School Meals in a Rural Florida District.” International Hospitality Review, 33(2): 73-90.

9.    Chen, Can and Sukumar Ganapati. 2018. “Is Transparency the Best Disinfectant? A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Transparency on Government Corruption.” Policy White Paper by Open Government Partnerships (OGP). https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/is-transparency-the-best-disinfectant/

10. Ebdon, Carol A. and Can Chen. 2017. “School Food Service Privatization and Procurement: An Interview Analysis of Nebraska and Florida.” In the Intersection of Food and Public Health: Examining Current Challenges and Solutions in Policy and Politics, edited by Bryce Hoflund, John Jones, and Michelle C. Pautz. New York: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.

11. Hoflund, A. Bryce, Can Chen, and Carol A. Ebdon. 2014. “Network Management and Leadership: Lessons Learned from the Douglas County Communities Putting Prevention to Work Farm to School Program.” Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 3(3): 45-56. [The article is featured on US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dch/programs/communitiesputtingpreventiontowork/publications/index.htm ]

12. Hoflund, A. Bryce, Can Chen, and Carol A. Ebdon. 2014. “Farm to School Programs and Food Insecurity.” In Voices of Hunger: Food Insecurity in the United States, edited by Thomas Courtney, Champaign, IL: Common Ground Publishing.

13. Liu, Lei and Can Chen. 2011. “The Review of Critical Theory in American Public Administration and Its Implication for Chinese Public Administration.” Journal of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 13(6): 13-18.   (In Chinese)