Internet Explorer 11 is not supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.
JustinMarlowHeadshot

Justin Marlowe

Columnist

Justin Marlowe is a research professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. His research and teaching are focused on public finance, and he has published five books — including the first open-access textbook on public financial management — and more than 100 articles on public capital markets, infrastructure finance, financial disclosure, public financial technology and public-private private partnerships. He is an admitted expert witness in federal and state courts, and has served on technical advisory bodies for the state of Washington, the California state auditor, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, the National Academy of Sciences, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and many other public, private and nonprofit organizations. Prior to academia he worked in local government in Michigan. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager and an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and he holds a Ph.D. in political science and public administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

At least one state is using the experience to find a new way to prepare for the next recession.
Mark Zuckerberg has ushered in a new form of philanthropy that has the potential to bring about positive change
The practice is loved by government accountants and scorned by bankers and investors.
In local government, chief financial officers are starting to find a clearer path to the top spot.
A surprising look at who owns and who benefits the most from tax-exempt debt.
But only one of these three modernization methods of revenue raising has a chance.
That’s bad news for those who manage public money.
Want to know how to do less with less? Activity-based costing has great promise.
Municipal bond investors have started asking governments to disclose their area's environmental hazards, but a lot of the information they want is not yet known.
While the city's parks no longer have to compete with police and other essential services for funding, this model has its drawbacks.