September 24-26, 2026 | Washington, D.C.
The University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs will be well represented at the 2026 Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM) Annual Research Conference. Faculty and doctoral students from the Department of Public Administration and Policy will present research on public finance, budgeting, fiscal resilience, nonprofit management, economic development, local government finance, and public financial management. Their participation reflects SPIA’s continued leadership in budgeting and public finance scholarship.
Thursday, September 24
Rebekah Lankford
Author/Presenter
Tradeoffs, Constraints, and Local Tax Adoption: Evidence from Georgia’s FLOST Referenda
A Shifting Tax Base: Remote Work, EVs, and Tax Enforcement
9:00-10:15 a.m. | Room 308
Michelle Lofton
Author/Presenter
Rules of Resilience: Reassessing the Legal Design of Budget Stabilization Funds
Institutions, Rules, & Fiscal Resilience Across Government Levels
9:00-10:15 a.m. | Room 309
Alex Combs
Author/Presenter
The Impact of School District Fiscal Distress Labels on Private Contribution and Nonprofit Revenues
Nonprofit Financial Distress, Reporting, and Revenues
9:00-10:15 a.m. | Room 311
Felipe Lozano-Rojas
Author/Presenter
A Joint Effort: The Effect of Dispensary Openings on Increased Activity and Tax Collections
Cannabis and Sin Taxes
1:00-2:15 p.m. | Room 301
Brandon Charles
Author/Presenter
Local Government Fiscal Responses to the Fracking Boom and Implications for Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability
Revenue Shocks and Local Fiscal Choices
1:00-2:15 p.m. | Room 307
Caitlin O’Kelley
Author/Presenter
Regional Governance and Rurality: How Georgia’s Regional Commissions Shape Rural Development Outcomes
Regional Fiscal Competition and Economic Growth
1:00-2:15 p.m. | Room 311
Friday, September 25
Melanie Waddell
Author/Presenter
Cost-Savings in Hazard Mitigation: The Impact of Program Type
Disasters, Hazards, and Fiscal Resilience
9:00-10:15 a.m. | Room 302
Katherine Willoughby
Author/Presenter
Modern Techniques and Classic Data: Exploring Budget Rationalities Using Machine Learning
Advances in Budget and Finance Experiments
9:00-10:15 a.m. | Room 309
Adedotun Seyingbo
Author/Presenter
Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms Sustainability in Developing Countries: More Evidence on Patterns and Drivers
Cross-National Public Debt, Fiscal Rules, and PFM Reform
3:30-4:45 p.m. | Room 308
Saturday, September 26
Rebekah Lankford, Dan Rudy, and Adedotun Seyingbo
Authors/Presenters
PEFA Frameworks and Standardization Methodology for Longitudinal Analysis Across Three Countries
Comparative Subnational Governance, PEFA, and Corruption
9:00-10:15 a.m. | Room 311
Adedotun Seyingbo
Author/Presenter
What Happens When We TSPLOST? Causal Evidence from Georgia Counties
Tax Design, Voter Behavior, and Intergovernmental Adjustment: Fiscal Responses in State and Local Governments
10:30-11:45 a.m. | Room 309
