The paper sets up an analytical framework within which the arguments for centralized vs. decentralized tax policy can be represented and weighed against each other. Two aspects of the debate are considered: first, the global welfare effects of 'harmonizing' tax reforms are discussed when...

We introduce democratic mechanisms where individual utilities are not observable by other people at the legislative stage. We show that the combination of three rules can yield e±cient provision of public projects: first, flexible and double majority rules where the size of the majority depends...