In this paper, I consider the evolution of the meaning of “fiscal policy” as understood in the economics literature before the publication of Keynes's General Theory. Consideration of the evolving meaning of fiscal policy is preliminary to understanding both the rise of Macroeconomics and...

The career and contributions of Roy Blough (1901-2000) are considered as a case study of Wisconsin Institutionalism in government policy-making at mid-century. Faculty member at Cincinnati, Chicago and Columbia, editor of the National Tax Journal, director of the research division of the U.S....

After the existence of general equilibrium was proved in the early 1950s, the next decade brought applications of general-equilibrium theory to policy issues such as the welfare effects of tariffs and the incidence of the corporate income tax. By the 1970s, general-equilibrium theory was being...

Twenty-five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we reflect on contemporary teaching of undergraduate comparative economic systems (CES). Using qualitative and quantitative measures, we consider how the field responded to the collapse by examining CES textbooks from the 1980s, 1990s,...

This study reports on the status of Comparative Economics Systems (CES) courses in the U.S. undergraduate economics curriculum. The treatment of CES topics in introductory courses is examined through a survey of standard textbooks; findings indicate that the education of American students is...

Institutionalism was the dominant approach to public finance prior to World War II, after which it was eclipsed by Pigouvianism and Keynesianism. This transition defined the career of Wisconsin's Harold M. Groves (1897-1969). Groves was a notable public finance economist, leading textbook...

The core of public economics traditionally addresses two situations of market failure: externalities and public goods. The desirability of government action in these cases hinges on decisions made in the revenue-expenditure process. How this process is envisioned can tell us quite a lot about...

This paper examines James Buchanan's earliest writings within the context of post-WWII public finance theory and his education at Chicago. Public choice scholars have long recognized their ties to Chicago, but few have examined Chicago's role serving as the primordial soup for Buchanan's later...

Undergraduate students are often interested in and benefit greatly from applications of economic principles. Although popular historical novels do not provide modern examples or business applications, they do draw from historical situations that can help engage students in economic concepts and...

We use meta-regression analysis to investigate the extent and nature of the gender gap - that male students outperform otherwise equivalent female students in economics courses. We survey 65 studies containing 279 distinct regressions from the past 30 years and conclude that the gender gap is...