In the Handbook of Public Economics, vol. 5, top scholars provide context and order to new research about mechanisms that underlie both public finance theories and applications. These fundamental subjects follow the recent, steady movement away from rational decision-making and toward more personalized approaches to tax generation and expenditure, especially in terms of the use of psychological methods and financial incentives. Closely scrutinized subjects include new research in empirical (instead of theoretical) public finance, the methods for measuring taxes (both in revenue generation and expenditure), and the roles that taxes play in specific settings, such as emerging economies, urban settings, charitable giving, and among political entities (cities, counties, states, countries). Contributors look at both the "tax" and "expenditure" sides of public finance, emphasizing recent influences that psychology and philosophy have exerted in economics with articles on behavioral finance, charitable giving, and dynamic taxation. To a field enjoying rapid growth, their articles bring context and order, illuminating the mechanisms that underlie both public finance theories and applications.

Detailed surveys examine maturing trends in public economics, especially in incentives and taxation.
Reviews
"Editors...offer this research volume on a few key issues in public economics. The first chapter addresses charitable giving and explores its motivations from social, market, and tax perspectives. The relationship of tax structure to development and an investigation of social insurance theory and program design are presented next. Urban public finance receives a chapter, discussing the functions and spending flows of local governance." --ProtoView.com, February 2014 "The new Handbook is a worthy update to this essential series, covering important modern topics with thoughtful critical surveys written by economists whose research has greatly informed our understanding of these issues. Reading this book is the most efficient (and pleasurable) way to travel to the frontier of public economics." --Joel Slemrod, University of Michigan "Again the Handbook provides us, students and established scholars alike, with what we need -- balanced surveys of the frontier of public economics. Each essay will help to define the pathway to the next advances in our understanding of what governments do, and can do, to improve society's economic performance. Very valuable." --Robert Inman, University of Pennsylvania



Book Information
ISBN 9780444537591
Author Alan J. Auerbach
Format Hardback
Page Count 496
Imprint North-Holland
Publisher Elsevier Science & Technology
Weight(grams) 1070g