ABSTRACT
Teaching students about public budgeting mechanics—budget cycles and timelines, budget formats and their purposes, budget strategy development, and reforms—requires immersing students in public budgeting in real time. That means focusing on student access to and deciphering of actual government budget documents and resources to build their knowledge about these concepts and enhance their skills to develop and manage public budgets. While there are some overarching characteristics of budgeting mechanics components, no two governments conduct such work in the same way. Governments engage multiple budget cycles, use a cornucopia of budget formats, and constantly reform their budgeting mechanics. This chapter celebrates student instruction about budgeting mechanics that helps them understand government budgets. Skill-building exercises provide roadmaps for students to learn about and gain facility in mining government portals, professional associations, in addition to academic literature, to become well-versed in public budgeting mechanics.
