Public Finance and Public Policy: Responsibilities and Limitations of Government [Paperback]

Arye L. Hillman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0521001145 | ISBN-13: 978-0521001144

This book sets forth the basic issues involved in public finance and public policy. All issues investigated explore the choice between voluntary market decision to earn and spend income versus assignment of responsibility to governments to tax and spend. The ten specific areas covered are markets and property, collective benefits, voting on public speaking, market corrections, social justice, political processes and redistribution, taxation, user pricing, public policy for welfare issues, and the question of how much government is needed in the modern state.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Arye Hillman's new undergraduate text provides a strikingly rich, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and unusually comprehensive overview of academic thinking about the role of government in the economy, (emphasizing the role of political institutions in shaping how governments behave, and the resulting trade-offs between private and public provision). Arye has managed to capture many of the latest ideas in a way that still remains eminently accessible to undergraduate students. It is a delight to read." Roger Gordon, University of California, San Diego

"Hillman's remarkable text breaks new ground in integrating traditional public finance with recent developments in public choice and political economy. In a balanced and impartial way, the book introduces the student not just to the principles of taxation and government expenditure but also to deeper questions posed by the nature of social justice, the efficacy and drawbacks of market and governmental solutions, the operation of bureaucracies, rent-seeking behavior, and political competition." Jack Hirshleifer, University of California, Los Angeles

"This book offers a sophisticated and comprehensive treatment of questions involving when and why politics arises, how politics can be predicted to work in practice, and how limits can be placed on political excesses. A well-informed, well-written treatise useful for several levels of readership." James M. Buchanan, Nobel Laureate, George Mason University

"This book is a blast of fresh air in the teaching of public finance. Arye Hillman has managed to provide a balanced account of the limitations of the market and the government, leading to a rigorous analysis of appropriate divisions of labor between the two. Teachers and students will benefit from this major achievement for many years to come, making this book a classic." Dennis Snower, Birkbeck College, University of London

Book Description

This textbook systematically sets forth the basic issues involved in public finance and public policy. All issues investigated explore the choice between voluntary market decision to earn and spend income versus assignment of responsibility to governments to tax and spend. The ten specific areas covered are markets and property, collective benefits, voting on public speaking, market corrections, social justice, political processes and redistribution, taxation, user pricing, public policy for welfare issues, and the question of how much government is needed in the modern state.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 780 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521001145
• ISBN-13: 978-0521001144
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Public Finance and Public Choice together in one book!, January 16, 2012

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Scuba Joe - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Public Finance and Public Policy (Kindle Edition)

I selected this text for my undergraduate level public economics class because it is one of the few books in public economics the presents both the public finance and public choice view points and I feel very guilty making income constrained students purchase two expensive textbooks. While my personal economic beliefs are skewed toward public choice I do not want to present this bias to my students as the only economic view of public economics. The content in this book covers both areas, but it also presents many of the proofs from my doctoral work, which at least in my opinion are not appropriate for undergrads. That being said I have instructed my students to skip over the proof portions and encouraged many of them to purchase this digital copy. The graphs are presented clearly and the table of contents allows you to select where in the book you wish to go. The beginning of the chapters also include outlines for easy movement in the digital version. It is also a MUCH cheaper version of the $200 hardcover. The set up of this digital book is very user friendly and I would highly recommend it for this reason.