The publication of volumes 3 and 4 of the Handbook of Public Economics affords us several opportunities: to address lacunae in the original two volumes of this series, to revisit topics on which there has been substantial new research, and to address topics that have grown in importance. Indeed, many of the papers individually encompass all three of these elements. For each chapter relates to one from an earlier volume, the new contribution is free standing, written with the knowledge that the reader retains the opportunity to review the earlier chapter to compare perspectives and consider...

The first volume of the Handbook of Public Economics contains eight essays on various topics in Public Economics by international leaders in the field. It begins with an historical perspective on the growth of the area as a whole, and subsequent essays focus on the theory and evidence about the impact of taxation on economic behavior.

The material presents an up-to-date survey of the field of public economics by those actually doing work on the frontier of the subject, and is written in a manner that renders it useful to the public finance specialist, whilst remaining understandable for...