Hunter Bacot is Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he also directs the Master of Public Affairs Program. He teaches courses in Public Administration, Public Policy, and State & Local Government. His research interests are in state & local government and public policy, and he has appeared in disciplinary journals such as Public Finance Journal, State and Local Government Review, Journal of Urban Affairs, Economic Development Quarterly, and Public Administration Review. He currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Public Integrity. Hunter received his BA in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Tennessee.

Bruce D. McDonald III is a Professor of Public Budgeting and Finance and Director of the School of Public Service at Old Dominion University. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of Public Administration, co-editor-in-chief of Public Finance Journal, and editor of both Routledge's Public Affairs Education Book Series and Routledge's Public Budgeting and Finance Book Series. He received a BA in communications from Mercer University, an MA in international peace and conflict resolution from American Military University, an MSc in economic history from the London School of Economics, an MEd in training and instructional design from NC State University, and a Ph.D. in public administration and policy from Florida State University. His research focuses on public budgeting and finance, with a focus on social equity budgeting and the fiscal health of local governments. His research has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, and the American Review of Public Administration.