Course Details
Country:
Netherlands
Institution:
Free University of Amsterdam
Course Title:
Public Economics
Course Number:
W_JSM_220
Course Description:
Public economics (public finance) is concerned with the role of the public sector (and in particular the government) in a market economy. This course covers an array of topics central to economic policy making, and will discuss underlying economic theory, but also embed it in the context of empirical research on policy evaluation that has given new impetus to public economic thinking. Classic topics include the correction of market failure in the presence of public goods (judicial system or national defence), as well as distributional goals with which welfare state institutions are concerned. We discuss welfare implications of taxation of incomes, consumption, or wealth, implied by adverse incentive effects on economic behavior. The central trade-off in public finance is that between the dual goals of efficiency and equity, and we argue that government policy is at most second-best relative to the goal overall maximization of social welfare.
Language:
English
Approved Equivalent:
ECON 330
Attachment Files:
