The purpose of the Government Finance Research Center (GFRC) in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is to shape and inform public policy and scholarly discourse on government and public finance by (1) identifying, planning, and executing research, therefore providing reports and informed analyses, (2) delivering educational opportunities and technical training, and (3) offering inclusive venues to convene national and local discussions on fiscal and governance issues.

New Report Release!

This year’s analysis was developed through a partnership between Merritt Research Services, an Investortools Company, and the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois Chicago. The report begins with an overview of audit time trends between 2013 and 2024. Then, it examines audit time performance changes between 2020 and 2024 to evaluate audit timing recovery from disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Next, it highlights the timeliest audits for the 2024 fiscal year, grouped by credit sector, from over 16,000 municipal bond audits. Finally, the report highlights the efforts of Texas to markedly improve audit timeliness among cities through new legislation that other states could replicate.

How Texas Found the Carrot (or the Stick?) to Improve Cities’ Audit Times

What's New at the GFRC?

The Government Finance Research Blog

The Government Finance Research Center at UIC is a place for sharing. Academics, practitioners and others can rely on its blog for commentary and information about promising and not-so promising practices and much more. The GFRC blog features a succession of posts short enough to be read by busy people and long enough to offer strong content. They are written by well-known experts in the field.

Check out our latest posts below and click here to see all blog posts.

A Conversation With...

The Government Finance Research Center works with researchers from a variety of backgrounds to analyze the role that public finance plays in our lives. In the interviews below, we talk with experts to dig deeper into pertinent topics and get their perspective on the past, present, and future of government finance.

See our latest conversation below:

Andrew Kleine, Managing Director – Government & Public Sector at EY-Parthenon, a global advisory firm