The Making of Economic Policy begins by observing that most countries' trade policies are so blatantly contrary to all the prescriptions of the economist that there is no way to understand this discrepancy except by delving into the politics. The same is true for many other dimensions of...

In recent years the welfare state has come under attack from economists, and in many OECD countries there have been calls for spending on the welfare state to be rolled back. Critics argue that the size of transfer programs is responsible for a decline in economic performance and that cuts in...

Despite significant gains in promoting economic growth and living conditions (or "human progress") globally over the last twenty-five years, much of the developing world remains plagued by poverty and its attendant problems, including high rates of child mortality, illiteracy, environmental...

Theoretical models based on the assumption that telecommunications is a natural monopoly no longer reflect reality. As a result, policymakers often lack the guidance of economic theorists. Competition in Telecommunications is written in a style accessible to managers, consultants, government...

In this book Peter Diamond analyzes social security as a particular example of optimal taxation theory. Assuming a world of incomplete markets and asymmetric information, he uses a variety of simple models to illuminate the economic forces that bear on specific social security policy issues. The...

Intro -- Contents -- Series Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- 2 From Tax Theory to Policy: An Overview -- 2.1 Landmarks of Optimal Tax Theory -- 2.2 The Evolution of Policy and Advice -- 2.3 Challenges for the Theory of Tax Policy -- 2.4 Optimal Analysis versus Reform Analysis --...

Intro -- Contents -- Series Foreword -- Laudation for Peter A.Diamond -- Preface -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Income Taxation -- 3 Models of Optimal Lifetime Income Taxation with Time-Consistent Preferences -- 4 Models of Optimal Lifetime Income Taxation with Time-Inconsistent Preferences -- 5...