This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Backhaus, J. G. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Old or New Public Finance? A Plea for the Tried and True

University of Erfurt

The traditional discipline of public finance had originally been the core of political economy. Over the past three decades, however, it has been redefined by leading scholars as the new public finance or public economics. At the same time, economics as a scholarly discipline has experienced a precipitous decline in relevance, and this has prompted many university administrators to abolish programs in public finance. Recent awards of the Nobel Prize in economics went to James M. Buchanan and William Vickrey, both innovative professors of traditional public finance. Although not ignoring the accomplishments of the new public finance, this article focuses on the traditional message of public finance as a discipline that allows scholars to communicate with policy makers. The canons of taxation and the emphasis on focusing on the social question are identified as the main tenets of public finance proper.

Public Finance Review, Vol. 30, No. 6, 612-645 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/109114202238005


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?