7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Mikesell needs to write more succinctly... please see Lee, Joyce and Johnson., 2005-10-19
Public Budgeting Systems by Robert D. Lee, Philip G. Joyce, and Ronald Wayne Johnson is written more clearly... if you have a choice, buy this book. The problem with Mikesell is that he has to write 200 pages (six chapters) to explain the concept of revenues in the budget process. Too many trees were wasted in the development of this book. Lee, Joyce, and Johnson can do this in 40 pages.
The greater majority of my Public Budgeting Systems class at George Mason University feels that the Mikesell book is written in a manner to lull oneself to sleep... the benefit is that one could read the book rather than using drugs to induce sleep.
However, if you are required to purchase the Mikesell book, you should go to the Amazon UK web site and complete your transaction there... you can save yourself about 70 to 80 dollars.
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Good book, bad delivery, 2005-09-30
I didn't get the book until 20 days after delivery. Way too long compared to other services. I got books I ordered the same day, 5 business days after placing the order.
Overall, Im pleased with the condition of the book.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Mikesell needs more money, reprints same book with new picture on the cover, 2005-07-07
Are you looking for this book for your MPA course? Save some money and buy an older edition. They're all the same!!!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Regarding Fiscal Administration, 2004-04-05
I am currently using this book for a graduate-level public budgeting course for a ranked MPA program. Mikesell's textbook is a poorly written, discursive and convoluted in scope. There are several basic grammatical errors in this textbook, and this is coming from someone whose first language is not English. The end-of-chapter computational problems are difficult to complete because nowhere in the chapters does the author explain how to do the problems. There is also too much information crammed into each paragraph; I'm lucky if I can read three pages in a row in one sitting. The author does not write well; he uses too many block quotes and lists (e.g, (1), (2), (3)...). Therefore, this book does not read well, and the information he tries to provide does not register in the mind.
Most of my classmates have the same complaints as the ones I listed above. This book agitating for many to read, even for someone with a fairly solid economic background. Therefore, I'd strongly recommend not to use this book if at all possible.
But to balance out this criticism with some good points, the first chapter is relatively easy to read and useful.
2 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Incorrect statement from former reviewer, 2004-02-28
A previous reviewer incorrectly identified my father's (J. Mikesell) undergrad alma mater as Illinois. In fact John Mikesell earned his BA from Wabash College.
Just setting the facts straight.