Syllabus
Plan of the course
1. Introduction
2. Economic rationale for the government
3. Public goods, cost-benefit analysis
4. Public choice theory, political economy
5. Externalities and the environment
6. Expenditure programs, decentralization
7. Public procurement
8. The welfare state
9. Introduction to taxation, tax incidence
10. Optimal taxation, personal income taxation
11. Tax avoidance and tax evasion
12. International tax competition and tax avoidance by companies Course requirements
1) Home assignments: max. 20 points There will be 2 home assignments (HA) with a maximum of 10 points each.
2) Wiki edit: max. 20 points There will be a list of Wikipedia pages on topics from public finance that need improvement. You are asked toregister in an online system (Wikiproject) that tracks Wikipedia edits, sign up for topics and contribute. Wikipedia edits are individual work. You are expected to contribute around 1000 words to Wikipedia. All your edits are registered in the Wikiproject.
3) Final exam: max. 60 points The final exam will be a written test and will cover material from all the lectures, both home assignments and also the course textbook (Stiglitz, Economics of the Public Sector, third edition; only chapters that are covered in lectures). There will be at least three exam dates announced in the SIS. See Appendix B for more information on exams. Grading Your final grade will consist of three parts: home assignments (max. 20 points), Wiki edits (max. 20 points) and the final exam (max. 60 points). The final grade will be determined based on the standard 10-point intervals.
Annotation
The course provides a basis for the economic analysis of public policy issues. It focuses on the role of government and rationale for governments' actions, theory of public spending, public choice theory, discusses fiscal policy tools and limits and the impact of taxes on economic activities.
The official course webpage is in the SIS. All relevant documents will be posted there.
You will be asked to use the SIS to turn in home assignments, and all your results will be posted there. The lectures take place every week.