Budget Institutions and Fiscal Policy in the U.S. States

This paper summarizes state balanced budget requirements, and the available empirical evidence on the effect of these rules on state fiscal policies. Existing state rules differ from many current proposals at the federal level. They are typically restricted to part of the state budget, they frequently permit short term borrowing, and they lack formal enforcement mechanisms. The paper also surveys previous research on how anti-deficit provisions affect state fiscal policy. The available evidence indicates that stringent anti-deficit provisions lead to more rapid adjustment of state taxes and expenditures when fiscal deficits emerge. This suggests that changing the federal budget process has the potential to affect federal fiscal policy.

“YOU WILL DO BETTER THEN I DID” THE POSITIVE ACTIONS BLACK PARENTS EMPLOY TO INFLUENCE THEIR CHILD’S CHOICE TO ATTEND COLLEGE

This study employs an anti-deficit perspective in exploring how the parents of first generation, low-income African American students positively influence their child’s choice to attend college. This study examines the positive direct and indirect actions taken by African American parents with limited monetary resources to encourage their child to decide to attend college when they have not finished a four-year degree themselves. A qualitative approach that includes a critical narrative inquiry design was adopted to deconstructing the stories of the various families and provide a space to uncover assumptions about knowledge, power and reflexivity. Furthermore, this study deconstructs the participants’ stories and expose deficit-informed information and research that silence and distort the experiences of the participants instead focusing on their racialized and classed experiences as sources of strength. The two theoretical frameworks used to undergird the research problem and questions from an anti-deficit perspective that accounts for the cultural nuances of African American families during the college choice process are Freeman’s model of African American students during predisposition and Harper’s Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework. Findings conclude that low-income African American parents who have not completed a four-year degree are highly involved in the college choice process, set high expectations for their children, and are their child’s greatest advocate

The Relevance of Double Consciousness among Black Males in College

“The Souls of Black Folk,” by W. E. B. Du Bois (1903) is a means to explain the experience of the Negro in the late 1800s. Many of the attitudes and perceptions of Black people are still present today. In Du Bois’ work, he discussed his coined term, double consciousness; Du Bois indicated that it is a curse along with a gift, a most unwelcome one. He discussed the racial binary of what a Black person experiences in society compared to White people. The experiences a Black man has in a predominantly White society can mirror the experiences of a Black man who attends a predominantly White institution (PWI). It is imperative for current student affairs practitioners to understand why this topic is important. This article explains how double consciousness is a timely concept that is applicable to Black males who attend PWIs

Paths to the Baccalaureate at a Hispanic-Serving Institution: The Lived Experiences of Latinos who Entered Higher Education at the Community College

The U.S. Census indicates that Hispanic participation in postsecondary education tripled between 1996 and 2016. If the traditional outcome measure of the six-year graduation rate is used, however, increased participation has not resulted in an increased number of Latinos who complete a bachelor’s degree. Further, typical examinations of baccalaureate completion have focused on the starting point—beginning at a community college or beginning at a four-year college or university and compare percentages of completion by race or ethnicity. Findings of such studies point to the disparity in bachelor’s degree completion rates between Latinos and other racial and ethnic groups and that the disparity is even greater among individuals who begin postsecondary education at the community college. This paper follows an anti-deficit approach to gain a greater understanding of the complexities of baccalaureate completion of Latina/o students beyond the common measure of a six-year timeframe and the simplified starting point of the community college. Learning from the success of the participants may provide insight helpful to educational leaders who seek to provide access and facilitate the success of Latino students

Black Male Student Success in Higher Education: A Report From the National Black Male College Achievement Study

The report presents insights from interviews with successful male African-American college students, highlighting factors that helped them succeed in a range of contexts: getting to college, choosing colleges, paying for college, transitioning to college, matters of engagement, and responding productively to racism

Using an Anti-deficit Framework To Explain the Academic Achievement of Black Men in Higher Education: a Narrative Inquiry

This dissertation explores the academic experiences of Black men who have completed their bachelor\u27s degrees at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), utilizing an anti-deficit perspective. Despite the reality that only 36% of Black men achieve their undergraduate degrees within six years, this study shifts the narrative from focusing on obstacles to emphasizing success strategies, aiming to narrow the opportunity gap between Black men and their White peers. Through narrative inquiry and the Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework, this research not only showcases the resilience and determination of these individuals but also illuminates the varied strategies they employ to navigate their higher education journey within predominantly White environments. The study\u27s key findings reveal that Black men employ a range of strategies to overcome challenges, including the development of support networks, mentorship, civic engagement, identity-affirming activities, and the cultivation of independence and self-reliance. They also highlight the significance of collaboration, embracing anti-deficit thinking, and prioritizing personal development and well-being. These strategies are essential for addressing the institutional and societal hurdles Black male students face. Moreover, the research emphasizes the urgent need for higher education institutions to move beyond simply relying on the perseverance and resilience of Black men. It advocates for systemic changes to address the root causes of educational disparities, calling for a shift towards a more supportive and equitable academic setting that actively enhances the diverse success strategies of Black men. By shedding light on the lived experiences, expectations, and coping mechanisms of Black men in PWIs, this dissertation provides actionable recommendations for transitioning from deficit-oriented practices in higher education. It calls for a comprehensive review of institutional policies and practices to create an environment where Black men can prosper without being disproportionately burdened by systemic inequities. Contributing to the discourse on justice and equity in higher education, this work underscores the critical role of comprehensive support in amplifying the innate resilience and ambition of Black male students

The Synergy Between Desire-Based Research and Appreciative Education

The dangers of approaching research, organizations, and people from a deficit-based perspective are explored before examining two frameworks, Eve Tuck’s (2009) desire-based research and Appreciative Education (Bloom et al., 2013) that employ an anti-deficit approach. The purpose of this article is to draw parallels between Appreciative Education and desire-based research in hopes that others might be further inspired to conduct additional research on these two topics

Critical Theoretical Frameworks in Engineering Education: An Anti-Deficit and Liberative Approach

The field of engineering education has adapted different theoretical frameworks from a wide range of disciplines to explore issues of education, diversity, and inclusion among others. The number of theoretical frameworks that explore these issues using a critical perspective has been increasing in the past few years. In this review of the literature, we present an analysis that draws from Freire’s principles of critical andragogy and pedagogy. Using a set of inclusion criteria, we selected 33 research articles that used critical theoretical frameworks as part of our systematic review of the literature. We argue that critical theoretical frameworks are necessary to develop anti-deficit approaches to engineering education research. We show how engineering education research could frame questions and guide research designs using critical theoretical frameworks for the purpose of liberation

The analysis of budget rules and macroeconomic implications in several developed economies

The purpose of budget rules can be explored from the perspective of the expected results, obtained by their enforcement. On one hand, they are meant to improve or at least maintain certain levels of the budgetary deficit and public debt. On the other hand, they can help or limit the economic development perspectives of states, influencing important macroeconomic variables. Starting with the evolution of the budgetary deficit, under the hypothesis that the most important determinant lies within the budget rules implementation process, this analysis is focused on the influence of several budget rules on the nominal interest rate. Our motivation is based on the need to present the differences between the analyzed countries in order to reveal if there were effects from the recession periods. The numeric part was made using panel data from eight west European countries along with Australia and New Zeeland. The analysis is compound of a two method estimation of the relationship between nominal interest rate and several factors that are strongly connected with the budget rules.budgetary deficit; public debt; interest rate; golden rule of public finance