This article intends to analyze the legal qualification of public expenditure in the Brazilian budgetary system, considering the preeminent investments to be done in a relatively short time for important events, such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games. We highlight therefore that the...

In this article, I evaluate the conventional tax-spend hypothesis versus the fiscal illusion hypothesis by analyzing quarterly data from 1959 to 2007 on U.S. federal revenues and expenditures within an error-correction framework. The findings suggest that (a) decreases in taxes do not...

In recent years, some fiscal conservatives have argued that reducing tax revenues and increasing budget deficits is an effective strategy for limiting federal spending. This strategy is commonly known as “starve the beast.” Niskanen (2006) convincingly demonstrates that reductions in federal...

Should fiscal consolidations be front-loaded or proceed at a more steady pace, and how does this affect growth? We make an attempt to address this question using a three-step methodology. First, we modify a standard regression of growth on consolidation size to allow speed to affect the...

While the U.S. tax system is progressive, the distribution of government spending makes the overall fiscal system more progressive than is apparent from tax distributions alone. Using a microdata model we estimate the distribution of federal, state and local taxes and spending between 1991 and...

As the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped public policies and government finances, it has also influenced the topics that public finance economists are researching. Because the 2020 International Institute of Public Finance (IIPF) Congress featured papers that were submitted prior to the start of the...

This study explores the philosophical and theoretical bases underlying U.S. tax and social policy for over 25 years in order to develop a comprehensive framework from which to evaluate the intended and actual effects on wealth distribution and social policy overall. The framework provides a...

The study looks at primary expenditure developments in the euro area, its three largest members and four "macro-imbalances" countries for the period 1999-2009. It compares actual expenditure trends with those that would have prevailed if countries had followed neutral policies based on...

The study looks at primary expenditure developments in the euro area, its three largest members and four “macro-imbalances” countries for the period 1999-2009. It compares actual expenditure trends with those that would have prevailed if countries had followed neutral policies based on...

The proposed balanced budget amendment is actually a spending limitation amendment. It would limit federal spending to 18 percent of GDP. This article argues that using GDP to calculate the maximum amount of spending is grossly inappropriate, especially for a constitutional amendment, because...