This paper develops an analytical framework for the systematic comparative analysis of equity approaches in long-term care policies. Equity is at the core of welfare state objectives, but there is a lack of systematic conceptualisation in many areas of social policy. This is particularly true...

We study how the allocation of government expenditures between two major outlays -- education and pay-as-you-go social security -- affects income distribution in an economy with heterogeneous agents.

This paper assesses the facts of the matter, searches for their implications for national economies, and considers the scope and need for local and national policies that provide a basis for balanced growth. The first section will summarize the evidence and implications leading to the conclusion...

This policy proposal outlines a substantial economic stimulus package needed to address the recent downturn in the U.S. economy. This stimulus package details steps to create jobs, provide economic support and lessen the effects of a weakening economy.

This paper discusses the relationship between structural change and social policies. It provides a comparative analysis of the basic mechanisms of three major lines of theoretical reasoning that seeks to explain the main reasons by which governments continue to expand their social expenditures...

This paper investigates the impact of emigration on the political choice regarding the size of the welfare state. Mobility has two countervailing effects: the political participation effect and the tax base effect. With emigration, the composition of the constituency changes. This increases the...

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of economic openness on the vertical structure of the public sector within a country. To tackle this issue we set up a simple theoretical model of fiscal federalism, where both central and local public spending enter the objective functions of...

In this paper we examine the effects of the composition (between private and public goods) of government expenditures in the rural world, and the effect that corruption has in the political game that determines these allocation decisions. In the first section of this paper we develop a political...

In this paper we revisit the literature on the economic consequences from inefficiency in public services provision. Following Dupuit (1844) and Pigou (1947) we argue that it is important to take the financing side explicitly into account. The fact that public expenditure financing must rely on...

In this paper we analyse public sector efficiency in the new member states of the European Union compared to that in emerging markets. After a conceptual discussion of expenditure efficiency measurement issues, we compute efficiency scores and rankings by applying a range of measurement...