Centre for Financial & Management Studies (CeFiMS) - University of London

Postgraduate Diploma in Public Financial Management

Structure and Syllabus

Four courses from the following:

Public financial management: planning and performance [C301]

Public financial management: revenue [C305]

Public financial management: financial reporting and audit [C310]

Privatisation and public-private partnerships [C311]

Project appraisal and impact analysis [C307]

Decentralisation and local governance [304]

Detailed Syllabus

Public financial management: planning and performance [C301]
In this course you will be introduced to the methods and issues of public financial management. You will examine subjects, including cost management, budgeting, expenditure control techniques, accounting for public spending and performance budgeting.

Unit 1: The Context of Financial Management
Unit 2: Budget Classification and Structure
Unit 3: Costs
Unit 4: Accounting and Budgeting: National Level
Unit 5: Accounting and Budgeting: Sub-national Level
Unit 6: The management and control of budgets
Unit 7: Budgeting and Democracy
Unit 8: Financial Management and Performance

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Public financial management: revenue [C305]
This course addresses the theory and practice of public finance with special reference to how governments raise revenues. It is concerned with taxation, borrowing and aid. There are economic principles that bear on the issues of financing public expenditure and these are covered in the course. If you have not studied economics before there is an Appendix that covers the relevant microeconomics concepts that underlie taxation theory. At the same time the course recognises that decisions on taxation, borrowing and aid are not taken solely with reference to economics but also to politics.

Unit 1: Tax Issues in Context
Unit 2: Taxation Incidence and Optimal Taxation
Unit 3: Policy Objectives and Taxation
Unit 4: Tax Policy Issues in Developing and Transition Countries (I)
Unit 5: Tax Policy Issues in Developing and Transition Countries (II)
Unit 6: Local Revenues in Developing and Transition Countries
Unit 7: Deficits and Debts
Unit 8: Foreign Aid and Debt Relief

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Public financial management: financial reporting and audit [C310]
You will learn how to read public accounts, contribute to their production and understand the audit process. The course covers the main accounting standards for public services in use around the world. This course has been developed in association with ACCA.

Unit 1: Introduction to Public Sector Accounting
Unit 2: Accounting Bases and Standards
Unit 3: International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) and the Cash Basis Standards
Unit 4: International Accrual-Based Accounting Standards for the Public Sector
Unit 5: Developing Public Sector Accounting Standards
Unit 6: Public Financial Management Benchmarks and Review
Unit 7: Public Sector Audit - Standards and Guidance
Unit 8: Public Sector Audit - Practice

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Privatisation and public-private partnerships [C311]
This course looks at a variety of innovations for producing public services. These range from privatisation to partnerships with private and voluntary organisations. The course will enable you to undertake the analyse necessary to make the best choice of method, and to begin the process of implementation.

Unit 1: Introduction to Privatisation in the OECD Countries
Unit 2: Scale and Methods of Privatisation in Africa, Latin America and Asia
Unit 3: Impact of Privatisation
Unit 4: Case Studies in Privatisation
Unit 5: Outsourcing, Contracting and Competition
Unit 6: Case Studies in Procurement
Unit 7: Public-Private Partnerships
Unit 8: Public-Private Partnerships: Cases and Conclusions

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Project appraisal and impact analysis [C307]
This course will give you a theoretical and applied background to public investment public finance. You will look at the project cycle from project identification to project and programme appraisal techniques, including financial and economic analysis, impact assessment and risk analysis.

Unit 1: Project Appraisal and Evaluation: An Introduction
Unit 2: Investment Appraisal Techniques
Unit 3: Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
Unit 4: Valuation Techniques – Application in Various Sectors and Case Studies
Unit 5: Risk and Uncertainty Analysis in Project Appraisal
Unit 6: Distributional Issues and Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
Unit 7: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)
Unit 8: Impact Assessment: Additional Tools and Techniques

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Decentralisation and local governance [C204]
You will study the fiscal and policy relationships between local and sub-national government. The course explores democracy and public participation in the policy process, local poverty reduction and local economic development.

Unit 1: Decentralisation: What and Why?
Unit 2: Fiscal Decentralisation
Unit 3: Cases in Fiscal Decentralisation
Unit 4: Administrative Decentralisation
Unit 5: Decentralisation and Participation
Unit 6: Assessing Decentralisation in Practice
Unit 7: Local Economic Development
Unit 8: Decentralisation and Poverty

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