Lectures on Public Economics: Updated Edition

Description

This classic introduction to public finance remains the best advanced-level textbook on the subject ever written. First published in 1980, Lectures on Public Economics still tops reading lists at many leading universities despite the fact that the book has been out of print for years. This new edition makes it readily available again to a new generation of students and practitioners in public economics. The lectures presented here examine the behavioral responses of households and firms to tax changes. Topics include the effects of taxation on labor supply, savings, risk-taking, the firm, debt, and economic growth. The book then delves into normative questions such as the design of tax systems, optimal taxation, public sector pricing, and public goods, including local public goods. Written by two of the world's preeminent economists, this edition of Lectures on Public Economics features a new introduction by Anthony Atkinson and Joseph Stiglitz that discusses the latest developments in the field and areas for future research. * The definitive advanced-level textbook on public economics* Examines the effects of taxation on households and firms* Covers tax system design, optimal taxation, public sector pricing, and more* Includes suggestions for further reading* Additional resources available online

Anthony B. Atkinson is Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and an honorary fellow of Nuffield College, University of Oxford. His books include Public Economics in an Age of Austerity. Joseph E. Stiglitz is University Professor at Columbia University and winner of the Nobel Prize in economics. His books include The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers Our Future.

"This classic volume by two of the pioneers of modern public economics remains an essential reference for students of the field. The key theoretical results discussed in this volume-a number of which were discovered by the authors themselves-have stood the test of time and continue to be taught in public economics courses around the world, including my own course at Harvard."-Raj Chetty, Harvard University "Lectures on Public Economics remains the most comprehensive and deepest textbook on the subject. The discussions presented here offer very insightful views on the limits of tax theory analysis that cannot be found in pure research articles, and help guide students who want to carry out research of their own."-Emmanuel Saez, University of California, Berkeley "There is no other general textbook on public economics that comes close to the achievement of Atkinson and Stiglitz. The organization of the book, its level of analysis, and the clarity of the exposition are just right for graduate and advanced undergraduate students."-Frank Cowell, London School of Economics