Publications

The California Public Budget Challenge

A Semester-Long Applied Budget Practicum

The California Public Budget Challenge transforms public budgeting from a subject to be studied into a professional experience to be performed. Participants work as members of a Budget & Strategic Finance Team assigned to a real California public agency and progress through five interconnected milestones—from organizational and fiscal assessment to strategic resource allocation and an executive-level budget briefing.

Designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate education, professional development, and executive learning, the practicum is supported by a complimentary Facilitator and Instructor Guide containing implementation models, facilitation resources, Fiscal Shock Scenarios, evaluation tools, and Executive Review Panel materials.

Now being adopted by faculty at California State University, East Bay and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ideal for:

Faculty members, graduate and advanced undergraduate students, emerging budget and management analysts, public managers, trainers, and professional-development programs in public administration, public policy, government, public finance, and nonprofit management.

→ Explore the Budget Practicum

Promoted into Incompetence

Why Good Workers Become Poor Leaders—and How Organizations Can Change That

Promoted into Incompetence examines a leadership crisis hiding in plain sight: technically capable employees are routinely promoted into management roles without the preparation required to lead effectively.

Drawing on more than three decades of executive, public-service, healthcare, and academic experience, David E. Fraser explains why leadership failure is often systemic rather than personal—and how organizations can strengthen leadership readiness, development, mentoring, promotion, and succession practices before failure occurs.

Ideal for:
Executives, managers, boards, HR leaders, leadership-development programs, and graduate-level leadership and management courses.

→ Learn more about Promoted into Incompetence

Grantcraft

The Practitioner’s Guide to Strategic Funding for Public Service, Healthcare, and the Nonprofit Sector

Grantcraft is a strategic, practitioner-focused guide to program development and grant funding across mission-driven organizations. Written for professionals who must translate ideas into funded, measurable initiatives, the book bridges theory and practice with clarity and rigor.

Rather than treating grant writing as a technical exercise, Grantcraft situates funding within broader organizational strategy—emphasizing alignment, evaluation, ethics, and long-term sustainability. Its modular structure allows readers to engage specific chapters as needed, making it both a teaching text and a working reference.

Ideal for:

Public administrators, nonprofit leaders, healthcare professionals, grant writers, faculty, and students in public administration, healthcare administration, and nonprofit management programs.

→ Learn more about Grantcraft

Designed for Academic and Professional Use

Dr. David E. Fraser’s books and applied educational resources are designed to support learning and professional practice across a range of settings, including:

Graduate and professional degree programs
Instructor-led courses and applied-learning experiences
Executive and leadership-development initiatives
Public-sector training and professional development
Organizational workshops and seminars
Board governance, succession planning, and management development

Each publication is designed to connect academic knowledge with practical application, supporting individual learning, professional development, and organizational use.

About the Author

David E. Fraser, Ed.D., MPA, is an executive leader, public administration educator, author, and organizational consultant with more than three decades of experience across government, higher education, healthcare administration, and the nonprofit sector. He serves in a senior leadership role within elected local government and teaches graduate-level courses in public administration and healthcare administration at California State University, East Bay.

His publications reflect a scholar-practitioner approach to leadership, public budgeting, organizational development, and strategic funding—translating complex professional challenges into practical frameworks, applied-learning experiences, and resources for students, faculty members, professionals, and organizations.