The Government Finance Database: A Common Resource for Quantitative Research in Public Financial Analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Finance
• Government Accounting
• Local Government Studies

Background:

• Quantitative research on local government financial management is hindered by a lack of accessible, unified data.
• Existing U.S. Census Bureau data is difficult to collect, interpret, and organize, limiting its consistent use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a single, coherent, and user-friendly database for local government financial data.
• To facilitate empirical analysis in public financial management research.
• To establish a resource that can be updated with new data.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of historical government financial data from 1967 to 2012.
• Standardization of data with natural-language variable names for ease of understanding.
• Creation of a centralized, accessible database.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive dataset covering local government finances from 1967-2012 is now available.
• The database features intuitive, natural-language variable names, simplifying data interpretation.
• The resource is designed for future expansion as new data becomes available.

Conclusions:

• The developed database addresses a critical gap in quantitative public financial management research.
• This unified resource significantly lowers the barrier for empirical analysis of local government finance.
• The initiative promotes more consistent and widespread use of government financial data in academic research.