This lecture examines government interventions in the economy, focusing on taxation, public goods, and welfare economics. It highlights policy evaluation techniques and investigates the effectiveness of various economic policies in achieving equity and efficiency.
Topics Covered
Introduction to Government's Role in the Economy
Understanding Taxation: Principles and Types
Public Goods: Characteristics and Challenges
Tax Incidence: Who Ultimately Pays the Tax?
Welfare Economics: The Equity-Efficiency Trade-Off
Policy Evaluation Techniques in Economics
Economic Policies to Address Market Failures
Redistributive Policies: Alleviating Inequality
Externalities and Corrective Policies
Regulatory Policies and Market Failures
Global Perspectives on Government Actions
Conclusion: Evaluating Policy Effectiveness
References
Pigou, A.C. (1920) The Economics of Welfare. London: Macmillan.
Samuelson, P.A. (1954) 'Pure theory of public expenditure', Review of Economics and Statistics, 36(4), pp. 387-389.
Musgrave, R.A. (1959) The Theory of Public Finance. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Mirrlees, J.A. (1971) 'An exploration in the theory of optimum income taxation', Review of Economic Studies, 38(2), pp. 175-208.
Atkinson, A.B. and Stiglitz, J.E. (1980) Lectures on Public Economics. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Slemrod, J. and Bakija, J.M. (2008) Taxing Ourselves: A Citizen's Guide to the Debate Over Taxes. 4th edn. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Olson, M. (1965) The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Stiglitz, J.E. and Rosengard, J.K. (2015) Economics of the Public Sector. 4th edn. New York: W.W. Norton.