Advances in Public Economics

ISBN-13: 9783642633249 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 171 str.

Robin Boadway; Baldev Raj

Opis

Thisbookisacollectionofeightpapersthatwerepublished in aspecial symposium issueofEmpirical Economicsdur- ing 1999. These papers cover several areasofinterest in contemporary public economics, including tax incidence, underground economy, welfare system, fiscal federalism, public infrastructure and the growth of government. The contributionsutilizeavarietyofquantitativetoolsofanaly- sis,includingappliedeconometrics,appliedgeneralequilib- rium modeling analysis, technical efficiency analysis and institutional analysis. The introductory essay in the book summarizes the contributionsofapplied public economics papers inthisbookandplacesthem inabroadercontextof modempublicfinanceeconomictheory.Theobjectiveofthe bookistomaketheseessaysavailableinaconvenientform toscholarsandstudentsengaged inresearchonpublic pol- icytopicsaswell astoinstructorsofcoursesinpubliceco- nomics, both undergraduate and graduate. A briefmotiva- tionforthebookisgivenbelow. Thestudyofpubliceconomicshasexperiencedanumber of dramatic changes during the past two decades. These changes have revolutionized, in a fundamental way, the subjectofpublic economics. This is due largely to several majordevelopments ineconomictheory,includingtheroles ofinformation theory and game theory along with its de- rivative theories, such as designofinstitutions as well as inter-temporal analysis. These economic theory develop- ments have altered in a fundamental way the way econo- mists and policy analysts perceive the roleofgovernment. Alsothesedevelopmentshavecalledintoquestiontheabil- ityofgovernmentstocarryoutsomeofitstraditionaltasks, particularly the efficient design of redistribution and tax systems. The theoretical research in public economics has contributedtothedevelopmentofnew instrumentsand ap- proaches to tackle problemsofeconomic policy in a more effectivemanner.Giventhattheevaluationofpolicyoptions requiresasoundunderstandingofboththenatureandmag- nitudeofeconomic,behaviouralandinstitutionalconstraints Preface VI thatarefaced bygovernments,there isaneedforempirical analysisofunderlyingpolicyquestionsandissues. Thiscollectionofessays on empirical finance indicates thatempiricalassessmentispossibleusingarichanddiverse setofempirical approaches. The various papers exemplify someofthevarioustechniquesthatcan beused byapplied researchersforsheddinglightonthequestionsofinterestin appliedpublicfinanceanditsapplications.

Spis treści

Introduction and Overview: R. Boadway, B. Raj: Contemporary Issues in Empirical Public Finance.- Economics of Public Programs: R. Haveman, K. Holden, B. Wolfe, P. Smith, K. Wilson: The Changing Economic Status of U.S. Disabled Men: Trends and Their Determinants, 1982-1991.- K. Bhattarai, J. Whalley: The Role of Labour Demand Elasticities in Tax Incidence Analysis with Heterogeneous Labour.- Tax Leakages and Efficiency: D.E.A. Giles: Modelling the Hidden Economy and the Tax-Gap in New Zealand.- R. Jha, M.S. Mohanty, S. Chatterjee, P. Chitkara: Tax Efficiency in Selected Indian States.- Do Governments Act in the Interest of Their Constituents? S.M. Sheffrin: Tax Reforms and the Growth of Government.- T. Doi: Empirics of the Median Voter Hypothesis in Japan.- Optimality of the Public Capital Stock: J. Nemoto, K. Kamada, M. Kawamura: Estimates of Optimal Public Capital Stocks in Japan Using a Public Investment Discount Rate Framework.- R.G. Batina: On the Long Run Effect of Public Capital on Aggregate Output: Estimation and Sensitivity Analysis.

O autorze

Robin Boadway is D. C. Smith Chair in Economics at Queens University, Kingston, Ontario. He is author or editor of many books.