| Course ID: | ECON 4300/6300. 3 hours. |
| Course Title: | Public Sector Economics |
Course
Description: | Government's economic role, with discussions of what governments should (or shouldn't) do, and of what they do in fact. Major tax and spending programs are critically examined, and proposals for changing them are considered. |
| Oasis Title: | PUBLIC SECTOR ECON |
| Prerequisite: | ECON 4010 |
Semester Course
Offered: | Offered every year. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | The class focuses on government's role in the economy. After introducing some
analytic tools, the class discusses what role government should (or should not)
play in the economy. Attention then turns to what government actually does as some
large spending programs are described and analyzed. For the revenue side of
government, the same progression is followed - tools, judging what is proper, and
describing what is actually done. |
| Topical Outline: | Empirical Tools
Evaluation of Private Markets
Public Goods
Externalities
Actual Government Behavior
Social Security
Welfare Policy
Effects on Price of Taxation
Effects on Behavior of Taxation
Optimal Taxation
The U.S. Income Tax
Responses to Tax Incentives
Consumption and Wealth Taxes
Corporate Taxes
State and Local Taxes |