Economics Of Public Spending, The

Description:
'The Economics of Public Spending' investigates the extent of government involvement in the economy, details it's rational, and traces its historical record. The book unites articles previously published in Fiscal Studies, each one addressing a different area of expenditure, and written by an economist specializing in that field. They describe both the data on public expenditure, and the theory relevant to understanding the policy issues. A new introduction investigates the overall role of the public sector and discusses the general theory of public expenditure. In providing a detailed analysis of public expenditure, the book makes an important contribution to the economics literature. There are no other texts with this breadth of coverage or depth of analysis. Insights are provided into both the policy issues, cross-country comparisons of expenditure, and alternative approaches to economic analysis. The chapters apply the tools of orthodox public finance, public choice, modern public economics, and game theory; to reach a range of policy proposals and conclusions. These demonstrate the range and potential of economic analysis when applied to these important issues.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction; 2. Public and Private Pension Spending: Principles, Practice and the Need for Reform; 3. Expenditure on Healthcare in the UK: A Review of the Issues; 4. Education and Public Policy; 5. Unemployment and Workers' Compensation Programmes: Rationale, Design, Labour Supply, and Income Support; 6. What We Spend and What We Get: Public and Private Provision of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; 7. On Sharing NATO Defence Burdens in the 1990s and Beyond; 8. Public and Private Spending for Environmental Protection: A Cross-Country Policy Analysis; 9. Government Failure in Urban Transportation; 10. Public Financing of the Arts in England; 11. Government Spending on Research and Development in the UK