ABSTRACT
During the Great Recession, which spanned 2008 and 2009, budget crises caused states to cut back on public education spending and schools responded by reducing spending on personnel, curriculum, and extra-curricular activities. This research article uses a unique survey conducted during the recession to analyse public attitudes towards different forms of school spending cuts. Ordered logit estimates show that gender, age, income, party identification, and political ideology are major determinants of public attitudes towards school spending cuts. Knowing the socio-demographic, economic, and ideological preferences of citizens and taking these into account in managerial decision-making, especially during budget crises, can promote responsive, participatory, and accountable governance.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
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Komla D. Dzigbede
Komla D. Dzigbede is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration at Binghamton University, State University of New York. His research interests include public budgeting and financial management, state and local public finance, and economic development. He has recently published research inMunicipal Finance Journal, Public Finance and Management, Policy Studies Journal, and Public Administration Review.