Associate Professor
Heritage Hall 405
(205) 996-2533
Research and Teaching Interests: Public budgeting and finance, education finance and policy, econometrics and research methods
Office Hours: T 3:00 - 4:00 p.m; W 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.; and by appointment
Education:
- B.S., University of Kentucky, Journalism
- MPP, University of Kentucky, Public Budgeting and Finance
- Ph.D., University of Kentucky, Public Policy and Administration
Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2014. Broadly, his research focuses on the public budgeting processes and financial management of local and state governments. He also studies K-12 public schools and considers the financial ramifications of various education policy issues. His work has appeared in Policy Studies Journal, American Review of Public Administration, International Journal of Public Administration, Public Financial Management, Urban Governance, International Journal of Public Sector Management, and the Journal of Public Affairs Education.
A recipient of the 2021 College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Jones primarily teaches in UAB’s Master of Public Administration program, training the region's future public and nonprofit sector leaders. He offers classes on the public budgeting and financial management, and data management. He also teaches an undergraduate course on public service.
Dr. Jones co-leads the Alabama Chapter for Scholars Strategy Network (SSN), a national organization of university-based scholars who are committed to using research to improve policy and strengthen democracy. SSN is nonpartisan and focuses on connecting academic experts with policy makers, journalists, and civic leaders so that they have the best information to craft policy. He is also a member of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama Roundtable and served on the Alabama State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
More information is available on 
Dr. Jones' CV.
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Recent Courses
- Public and Nonprofit Budgeting
- Quantitative Methods for Public Administrators
- Public Economics for Public Managers
- Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations
- Decision Analysis
- Education: Economics and Policy Studies
- Data Management
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Select Publications
Articles:
- Jones, Peter, Reitano, Vincent, and Buerger, Christian.2022. Fiscal Shocks, Budgetary Pressures, and Public Education Expenditure Stabilization. International Journal of Public Administration, 1-10.
- Blanton, Robert and Jones, Peter. 2021. Social construction and the diffusion of anti-trafficking laws in the U.S. Policy Studies Journal.
- Greer, Robert, Jones, Peter, and Reitano, Vincent. 2021. Anchoring Votes: Performance Information Framing and School District Bond Referenda Public Financial Management.
- Jones, Peter. Implementing specifications grading in MPA courses: A potential strategy for better work-life balance. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 26(4), 531-547.
- Barrett, Nate, Fowles, Jacob, Jones, Peter, and Reitano, Vincent. 2019. Forecast Bias and Fiscal Slack Accumulation in School Districts. The American Review of Public Administration, 49(5), 601-613.
- Jones, Peter. 2018. The influence of charter school competition on public school district revenues across the U.S. Journal of Education Finance. 43 (4), 327-359
- Butler, J.S. and Jones, Peter. 2018. Theoretical and empirical distributions of the p value. Metron. 76 (1), 1-30
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Media
- November 2021: Hamilton County mayor decries state stripping of local public health powers (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
- September 2021: We're No. 2: After years of population decline, Birmingham is no longer Alabama’s largest city (Iron City Ink)
- August 2021: Masks are back in Hamilton County Schools, but not for some (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
- August 2021: With A Crowded Field For Mayor, Birmingham Voters Weigh In On City’s Future (WBHM)
- July 2021: As The Clock Runs Out On $300 Unemployment Benefits, A New Orleans Waitress Is Left In Limbo (WWNO)
- June 2021: Things to consider before opting out of the expanded child tax credit (WBRC and WSFA)
- May 2021: Gov Ivey suspends federal unemployment benefits (WBRC)
- April 2021: What does the 2020 Census mean for funding in Alabama (WVTM)
- April 2021: Alabama retains 7 seats in Congress (WBRC)
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Academic Distinctions & Professional Memberships
- Association of Budgeting and Financial Management
- Scholars Strategy Network – Alabama Chapter
- American Society for Public Administration
- Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama Roundtable