The strong scholar-practitioner focus of our courses, due to our involvement in well-known fiscal policy reforms around the globe, differentiates our program from others. Our faculty mentors and guides course participants in the development of projects allowing participants to integrate the knowledge brought to the program with what is newly learned.

Courses consist of a mix of lectures, hands-on workshops, computer simulations, case studies, group projects and presentations, roundtable discussions, and on-site visits to various government agencies throughout the State of Georgia.

The strong scholar-practitioner focus of our courses, due to our involvement in well-known fiscal policy reforms around the globe, differentiates our program from others. Our faculty mentors and guides course participants in the development of projects allowing participants to integrate the knowledge brought to the program with what is newly learned.

Courses consist of a mix of lectures, hands-on workshops, computer simulations, case studies, group projects and presentations, roundtable discussions, and on-site visits to various government agencies throughout the State of Georgia.

Participants need no previous experience in economics, budgeting or public administration, although the program is designed to be most useful for central, regional and local government officials, policy makers and program managers from developing and transitional countries.

Participants do not need any previous experience with computers. Although all courses are taught in English, simultaneous interpretation can be arranged for groups of non-English speaking participants.

In previous years, our training programs have attracted participants from countries around the world, including officials from Albania, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Guinea, Jamaica, Kenya, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa, St. Lucia, Tanzania, Thailand, Turks and Caicos, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zambia.

Previous participants further include officials from USAID, DFID (United Kingdom), the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and the World Bank.

Tuition for the three-week fiscal decentralization course is $7,650, tuition fee for the macroeconomics and education policy courses are $5,000 per course, and tuition for the tax policy and the public budgeting courses are $5,500 per course. The tuition fee includes all training-related costs, including instruction, course materials, single-occupancy lodging accommodations, local transportation and cultural activities. However, the course tuition does not include airfare to/from Atlanta, health insurance, meals, or other incidental expenses. The estimated cost for meals and incidental expenses for Atlanta is $49 per day.

Participants are typically funded by their government (e.g., Ministry of Finance) or through bilateral or multilateral development agencies. The participant is responsible for securing a commitment for funding before submitting the application. Examples of multilateral development agencies are the United Nations Development Program, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Inter-American Development Bank. Follow this link for additional information regarding funding opportunities.

Participants to the courses stay at the Marriott Residence Inn Atlanta Downtown. The hotel is within walking distance of the Georgia State campus and downtown Atlanta. The Peachtree Center train station is conveniently located across from the hotel. The Andrew Young School makes hotel reservations on behalf of participants and room charges are included in the course tuition fee. Participants are generally assigned single-occupancy rooms with a kitchenette and complimentary wireless high speed internet access.

A number of field trips and outings are planned for course participants providing an opportunity to interact with each other and with program instructors outside the classroom, while providing participants with a taste of local history and culture. These extracurricular activities include visits to relevant places of interest around the city of Atlanta. Transportation and entrance tickets are included in the tuition fee.

Note that due to the length of time needed for the U.S. Government to process visas, it is highly recommended that you submit your training program application as soon as possible. Once your training program application is received, Georgia State University will be able to provide supporting documentation for the visa application process.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations made more than 10 business days before the beginning of the course will be reimbursed in full less the cost of the wire transfer. Cancellations made less than 10 business days before the beginning of the course will be reimbursed 60% of the total fee. This withholding is to cover the cost of the penalty fee paid to the hotel for canceling the room and the costs incurred for the purchase training supplies.

Please note that we reserve the right to cancel any course up to 30 days before the beginning of the course based on projected participation.