Public Value Theory and Budgeting

by Usman W. Chohan

Public value theory has advanced over the past 30 years, but there is a need to extend its boundary outwards into new contexts and update its discourse to reflect new social challenges. We are now trying to create value in a globalized world, with supranational entities, with new international alliances and institutions, in a frightening post-truth era. How can public managers grapple with these emerging realities? This book seeks to provide answers to such public value questions by applying powerful budgeting perspectives. Using case studies of independent budget offices, key fiscal instruments, and leading public value frameworks, this book stands out in its use of budgetary lenses to answer pertinent questions about the multidimensional processes of value creation by and for a wider society. Pushing the debate on public value forward and taking it onto the global stage, the book asks whether public value (and other public administration theories) are applicable beyond the traditional context of the pro-globalization Western liberal democracies in which they were conceived. It does this by exploring the realms of developing countries, supranational entities, and post-Communist societies, among others. Finally, it presents these explorations in light of very recent sociopolitical trends and phenomena, including the growth of civil society, the global financial crisis, the illiberal democracy, and the post-truth era. Tailored to an audience comprising public administration scholars, students of government, budget practitioners, and social scientists interested in contemporary problems of values in society, this book helps to advance public administration thought by extending public value theory into new contexts and relating it to the growing global challenges of public life.

146 pages, Paperback

Published December 18, 2020

About the author

who is now a Research Fellow (BPS 20) at the Institute of Regional Studies, heading the Economic Development of South Asia program. Previously, he was Advisor and one of the founding Directors of CASS, leading the team on Economic Affairs & National Development. He is among the Top 100 Authors across all subjects & disciplines (out of 2.5 million authors) on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), which is the largest open repository of knowledge in the world. He has authored & edited ten books in the past eight years, all published with Routledge (see below). In the academic realm, his research has been cited widely, and Dr. Chohan has testified before various authorities based on his technical expertise. He has been published in prestigious journals such as Policy & Society, The International Journal of Public Administration, and Parliamentary Affairs.

Dr. Chohan has a PhD in economics from UNSW Australia, where his doctoral work led to the world's first multidisciplinary synthesis of independent legislative fiscal institutions, and an MBA from McGill University (Canada), with coursework at MIT-Tsinghua. He has also been a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum from the Canberra hub.

His previous practitioner experience includes working at the National Bank of Canada and the World Bank. Dr. Chohan has been a speaker at major national conferences such as GSTAR and the Margalla Dialogue, and has taught courses on the digital economy at the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG) with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB, Belgium).

He is also the President of the International Association of Hyperpolyglots (HYPIA), the leading organization worldwide for hyperpolyglotism and whose membership consists of the speakers of six or more languages.

Dr. Usman appears frequently on domestic and international television, podcasts, and lecture series in various languages. He leads and hosts The Economic Angle podcast series. He is also trained in South Asian musicology and plays the sitar, with his second repertoire album released in 2025. In addition, Dr. Chohan has maintained an annual reading challenge of 100 books every year since 2011.

Reviews

[Amnatauhidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Public value theory is definitely in itself a complete framework to improve public management systems and serve the wider public through the deployment of country's resources. The idea covered in the book can effectively be utilized and implemented to enhance institutional capacity and transparency.

[Captian Captian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well articulated piece of writing. Really shows how abreast the author is about contemporary trends in budgeting. Recommended to the economy and business students.

[Zuhaib Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best part about this book is that it allows readers to understand how useful budgeting is for us to grasp the value creation of society.

[Saad Sikander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, I love how this covers so many different countries through the same lens of public value through budgeting

[Zahra Niazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is certainly a knowledgeable read, and the author deserves commendation for
multiple reasons but primarily because of the author’s genuine efforts towards making this
publication an asset for shaping the common good.