Bücher der Reihe Elements in Public Economics

Tax policies are informed by principles developed in the tax theory and policy literature. This Element surveys the policy lessons that emerge from optimal tax analysis since the 1970s. This Element begins with the evolution of tax policy principles from the comprehensive income approach to the expenditure tax approach to normative tax analysis based on social welfare maximization and recounts key results from the optimal income tax analysis inspired by Mirrlees and extended by Diamond to the extensive margin approach. This Element also emphasizes analytical techniques that yield empirically relevant concepts and show the equity-efficiency trade-off at the heart of tax policy. We also extend the analysis to recent literature incorporating involuntary unemployment, and policies like welfare and unemployment insurance.

Our societies are witnessing a steady increase in longevity. This demographic evolution is accompanied by some convergence across countries, but substantial longevity inequalities persist within nations across income classes. This Element aims to survey some crucial implications of changing longevity on the design of optimal public policy.

Have you ever wondered, how your telephone company or Internet service provider can give you access to almost all people in the world or how electricity suppliers can compete with each other if there is only one electric supply line passing through your street? This Element deals with the economics and public regulation of such network industries.

Given the ease with which multinationals can evade tax, the existing corporate tax structure faces major pressures, as reflected in average statutory corporate tax rates halving in recent decades. This Element speculates on alternative tax structures that will avoid these problems.

Surveys some of the earlier results in linear and nonlinear taxation and produces some new numerical results. Examines empirically the relationship between the extent of redistribution and the components of the Mirrlees framework. Analyses the redistributive role of a range of factors in the Mirrlees framework.

Refutes the commonly imagined threat to welfare states: that the welfare state package reduces the level and growth of GDP. Explores the threat of the rise of anti-immigrant backlash. Also investigates population aging, which poses a serious problem for financing old age.

Provides a summary of recent theoretical and empirical developments and summarizes state-of-the-art stated-preference and revealed-preference valuation methods. Discusses how to assess the impact of small and large projects on prices and other economic variables. A novel feature is the flexible evaluation rules for reasonably small projects.