Public Economics In The United States

For courses in Public Finance, Public Economics, Public Sector Economics, and The Economics of Taxation. Holcombe takes a "public choice" approach to public finance and looks at public policy as a product of the democratic decision-making process.

"This comprehensive explanation of the U.S. government's role in economics will be an eye-opener for anyone who wants to understand exactly what the government does--and doesn't do--in this most critical area"--

This Brief proposes a new theory of public economics which deemphasizes reliance on the free market and affirms the importance of public goods and services within the context of the democratic process and constitutional governance. Public non-market production makes up from a quarter to more than half of all economic activity in advanced democratic nation-states. Yet by imposing market precepts on the public domain, as mainstream economics, political science, and public administration do, public governing capacity is weakened and the democratic system suffers. Agencies originally created to meet public needs are being warped into entities whose purpose is to generate revenue and, in some cases, deliver private profits at public expense. Drawing on classic public finance literature, this book illustrates the differences between public economy and the market model and why those differences matter. Building on this, the Brief sketches the elements of a new theory of the public non-market and illuminates its connections to the delegation of power and collective provision of resources from the polity. This book will be useful to scholars of public economics, political science, and public administration as well as policy makers and those working in the public sector.

This comprehensive explanation of the U.S. government's role in economics will be an eye-opener for anyone who wants to understand exactly what the government does--and doesn't do--in this most critical area. Most people, including many economists, are not aware of the great variety of crucial tasks and invaluable analyses undertaken by government economists. This three-volume set will fill that gap with an all-encompassing overview of the major economics-related work the government performs across all of its agencies and offices. With 45 chapters written by 61 leading experts, the work covers every major topic in government economics, including such diverse areas as monetary policy, defense spending, social assistance, international trade, antitrust, and environmental protection. In addition to entries by those who teach economics, the compendium also features candid observations from government insiders to help readers grasp how things really work. But readers will not only gain insight into specific fields and topics, they will also be able to better understand the big picture and how its pieces fit together. This unique and far-reaching set often challenges conventional wisdom even as it presents a novel synthesis of the government's research, analysis--and actions. Covers all basic subjects in government economics, addressing the practical side of public economics as well as theory Includes rarely discussed topics such as modeling and forecasting the macroeconomy, the development of official measures of well-being, and professional ethics for economists in federal service Comments on issues of particular interest to those in business including government intervention in small business lending, regulation of the banking industry, regulations governing securities transactions, outsourcing, and strategies for promoting U.S. competitiveness in world markets Includes entries by leading experts such as Robert Lerman, president of the Society of Government Economists; Susan Offutt, chief economist of the Government Accountability Office; Paul Pautler, deputy director at the Federal Trade Commission; and Murray Weidenbaum, former chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisors

A rigorous, self-contained textbook covering all the central topics in public economics.

Public Economics: A Concise Introduction provides a concise and non-technical overview of the role of government in the economy. Using the questions ‘why?’, ‘what for?’ and ‘how?’, the text initially surveys the place of the public sector in a market economy. It then considers the possible reasons which could justify government involvement. Next, the book examines the aims of state economic activity, and the instruments which a government has at its disposal. Lastly, the final chapter provides an illuminating tour of economic history and history of economic thought in relation to government economic activity. The book offers an international focus throughout, with examples taken from all over the globe. Readers are supported with a range of pedagogical features, including example boxes, chapter objectives and summaries, and end-of-chapter multiple choice and reflection questions. Public Economics: A Concise Introduction will be a valuable text for students on courses in public economics, welfare economics, public finance, public policy and related areas.

"This comprehensive explanation of the U.S. government's role in economics will be an eye-opener for anyone who wants to understand exactly what the government does--and doesn't do--in this most critical area"--

This comprehensive explanation of the U.S. government's role in economics will be an eye-opener for anyone who wants to understand exactly what the government does—and doesn't do—in this most critical area. Most people, including many economists, are not aware of the great variety of crucial tasks and invaluable analyses undertaken by government economists. This three-volume set will fill that gap with an all-encompassing overview of the major economics-related work the government performs across all of its agencies and offices. With 45 chapters written by 61 leading experts, the work covers every major topic in government economics, including such diverse areas as monetary policy, defense spending, social assistance, international trade, antitrust, and environmental protection. In addition to entries by those who teach economics, the compendium also features candid observations from government insiders to help readers grasp how things really work. But readers will not only gain insight into specific fields and topics, they will also be able to better understand the big picture and how its pieces fit together. This unique and far-reaching set often challenges conventional wisdom even as it presents a novel synthesis of the government's research, analysis—and actions.

Vito Tanzi offers a truly comprehensive treatment of the economic role of the state in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries from a historical and world perspective. The book addresses the fundamental question of what governments should do, or have attempted to do, in economic activities in past and recent periods. It also speculates on what they are likely or may be forced to do in future years. The investigation assembles a large set of statistical information that should prove useful to policy-makers and scholars in the perennial discussion of government's optimal economic roles. It will become an essential reference work on the analytical borders between the market and the state, and on what a reasonable 'exit strategy' from the current fiscal crises should be.

A calculation of the social returns to innovation /Benjamin F. Jones and Lawrence H. Summers --Innovation and human capital policy /John Van Reenen --Immigration policy levers for US innovation and start-ups /Sari Pekkala Kerr and William R. Kerr --Scientific grant funding /Pierre Azoulay and Danielle Li --Tax policy for innovation /Bronwyn H. Hall --Taxation and innovation: what do we know? /Ufuk Akcigit and Stefanie Stantcheva --Government incentives for entrepreneurship /Josh Lerner.