ECON308 Public Economics

The role of government in society is examined using the tools and methods of microeconomics. Topics include welfare economics, public goods, externalities, optimal taxation and voting models.

This paper discusses examines the ways government interventions affect the economy. The paper begins with an empirical and theoretical overview of the development of government expenditure programmes in OECD countries. It then explores several standard analytical approaches to government programmes by examining income redistribution, social security, tax policies, and government finance (debt and asset positions) from both macroeconomic and microeconomic perspectives. The second half of the paper extends these concepts by analysing three topics of contemporary importance: local government finance; environmental policy; and the non-government provision of public services.

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Prerequisite

ECON 201 or ECON 271

Schedule C

Arts and Music, Commerce, Science

Contact

economics@otago.ac.nz

More information link

View more information about ECON 308

Teaching staff

Andrew Coleman (Coordinator and lecturer); Viktoria Kahui; Stephen Knowles; Paul Thorsnes

Textbooks

Joel Slemrod and John Bakija (2017) Taxing Ourselves, 5th edition.(MIT Press)

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Critical thinking, Ethics, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this paper, you should be able to:

• Develop an appreciation of the reasons for a public sector in a market-oriented economy;
• Apply economic analysis to understand the macro-and micro implications of differentpublic sector interventions in the economy; and
• Understand specific problems arising in certain areas of public-sector activity.

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