Public Expenditure Analysis
90-774

Spring, 2002
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
Room 1004
Hamburg Hall
11:00 - 12:20 PM
 



 
 


Professor Robert P. Strauss
RS9F@Andrew.CMU.Edu


90-774 Course Syllabus



By Taking Public Expenditure Analysis You Can Learn about:

$$ Money, $$
Politics ,
Power and ,
$oftware $kills for your Resume,


  • Happy Students Pose for Pictures During Final Exam


    (from front to back, right to left by row)
    Siraj (seated), Rina, Kristy, Elvia and Bob,
    Harry, Choong, David and Mike


    Scenes from May 1, 2002 Presentations

    David and Kristy celebrate getting ready to give their
    presentation --- Cost-Benefit Analysis of [yet another]
    stadium, for the Pittsburgh Penguins

    Kristy gives an overview with David showing great interest.

    David runs the power point for Kristy, while Mike and
    Harry watch; Harry doesn't like the negative tones
    in Kristy's presentation. She thinks a 3'rd stadium
    is a waste of the taxpayer's hard-earned money.
    Harry's view will be revealed in his video

    The class looks on; note Heinz School alum David
    S. in the back watching the show...arms folded in disbelief

    Pizza view of the presentation; 11 students wolved down
    4 extra large gourmet pizzas starting at 11 AM and an
    undisclosed amount of beer...

    Kristy breaks the news to everybody; the City of
    Pittsburgh signed a contract guaranteeing a new
    stadium for the Penguins...the local papers stiil
    won't report it, as of July 1, 2002

    A close up of standard class refreshments...

    Mike and Harry listen intently as Kristy's critical
    review continues. Harry, in the Penguins shirt is
    not enamored with where the talk is going...but has a
    secret plan to sway the audience.

    Mike puts up the data matrix and starts the
    sensitivity analysis.

    Professor Strauss stretches while a student imbibes...
    looks like a Strohs

    Harry's time has finally come. He switches the assumptions
    and reveals insider information that demonstrates that a new
    stadium is required by everybody in the region.
    He touts a proprietary willingness-to-pay survey
    that cleary indicates that everybody in SW Pa.
    prefers watching the Penguins than anything else,
    including consensual sex.

    Even Harry is surprised at how large his NPV is!

    Kristy is non-plused, Mike is being polite, and David
    nervously tries to get some food in his stomach after
    an undisclosed number of beers.

    Mike, Kristy and David listen as Harry begins to
    sway the audience towards the desirability of the
    third stadium.

    Katherine, now permanently related to David S.,
    and the number 2 ranking budget official in the City
    of Pittsburgh, listens politely, dressed in power blue
    Brooks Brothers business suit, and remembers fondly
    when she took public expenditure analysis
    but skipped public finance.

    The Penguins stadium team stands together and discuss
    whether or not Harry's case is plausible...

    They respond to questions from the audience...
    One student in the audience, after undisclosed number of beers
    howls in disbelief at NPVs.

    Further response to the audience...Mike starts
    handwaving in response to technical questions about
    the implausible NPVs, and Harry's secret willingness to pay

    Harry's Final Answer: His Own Video!

    "Harry Tsang's Dash and Dance in Philadelphia"
    To see and hear this, download it to your desktop and then use
    Real Player 7 or Higher to Use it.

    The teen smoking group encounters technical problems; Siraj
    frantically tries to get the zip drive to work, Rina looks grimly on

    Three pairs of hands are better than one, but Elvia is evidently worried about the time

    Elvia starts the overview of the Teen Smoking Project

    Rina looks at her notes to get her presentation right
    after an undisclosed number of beers...

    Elvia, Rina and Sarij watch/listen as Choong weighs in

    Economic model components outline, contrasted with Caulkins
    education/exhortation model

    The teen smoking's dead weight loss analysis:
    Groans from the audience about yet another economics graph

    Rina, Choong, Siraj, and Elvia try to answer more tough
    questions from smoker in audience; two in group admit they were teen smokers


    Scenes from Typical End of Semester Bash:

    Spring 01 Bash
    Juan, Christine, Kim, Bob and Pedro pose for digital picture during festivities.


    Heidi Watt, Treasurer of CMU's, enjoys a cool one!


    Sherae gets the giggles, and she's drinking soda!