In most OECD countries, public spending rose steadily as a share of GDP over the past decades to the mid-1990s, but this trend has since abated. The spending pressures stemming from the continued expansion of social programmes have been partly compensated by transient or one-off factors....

The financial crisis that erupted during 2007 and intensified in 2008 and the ensuing economic recession led to a serious deterioration in the public finances of most advanced economies. That resulted in a sharp increase in the fiscal deficit and public debt in those countries, including...

This paper explores the relationship between fiscal deficit, trade deficit and private consumption in European countries in the years 1970-2010. The aim of the study is to test empirically the validity and rationale of the Keynesian proposition (conventional view or Twin Deficits hypothesis) and...

This paper assesses the effect of fiscal policy on economic growth in an AK model with endogenous labor supply. It is found that the structure of taxation and government expenditure could affect the long-run growth rate through their effect on households’ labor-leisure choice, saving-consuming...

The volume collects the essays presented at the 15th Workshop on Public Finance organised by Banca d'Italia in Perugia from 4 to 6 April 2013. The workshop focused on the link between fiscal policy and macroeconomic imbalances and comprised four sessions. The first session concentrated on the...

The nexus between government revenue and government expenditure always wins the attention of policy makers and think tanks while they work four making fiscal policies for an economy. This paper is an empirical investigation on the unidirectional causality between government expenditures and the...

EU member countries are currently exposed to negative implications of the economic and financial crisis. In connection with this problem arises the question of an anti-cyclic role of an economic policy or more precisely the (regulatory) role of the government in the economy that seems to be the...

EU member countries are currently exposed to negative implications of the economic and financial crisis. In connection with this problem arises the question of an anti-cyclic role of an economic policy or more precisely the (regulatory) role of the government in the economy that seems to be the...

EU member countries are currently exposed to negative implications of the economic and financial crisis. In connection with this problem arises the question of an anti-cyclic role of an economic policy or more precisely the (regulatory) role of the government in the economy that seems to be the...

Finland is committed to high quality and extensive public services and a high level of income redistribution. The heavy tax burden these commitments require is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain due to tax competition and the need to harmonise certain taxes with other EU countries. These...