Handbook of Public Economics

by Alan J. Auerbach, Raj Chetty, Martin Feldstein, Emmanuel Saez

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780444537591
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	08/13/2013
Series:	Handbook of Public Economics , #5
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

Table of Contents

1. Charitable Giving-James Andreoni & A. Abigail Payne

2. Taxation and Development-Timothy Besley & Torsten Persson

3. Social Insurance: Connecting Theory to Data- Raj Chetty & Amy Finkelstein

4. Urban Public Finance- Edward L. Glaeser

5. The Theory of International Tax Competition and Coordination-Michael Keen & Kai Konrad

6. Taxation of Intergenerational Transfers and Wealth– Wojciech Kopczuk

7. Optimal Labor Income Taxation- Thomas Piketty & Emmanuel Saez

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Detailed surveys examine maturing trends in public economics, especially in incentives and taxation.

Editorial 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

From the Publisher