Learning objectives
Knowledge of the economic aspects of public administration is now a part
of the essential professional education of the law student. This six-month
course, specifically aimed at these students, offers the theoreticalinstitutional knowledge and tools necessary to understand the operation
of the public sector, its administration and the problems connected with
public intervention. Particular attention is dedicated to efficiency, and to
the economic and institutional analysis of spending and taxes. The course
is not of a technical nature and draws on and provides all the useful
elements of economics for a full understanding of all the topics.
Prerequisites
YES
Course unit content
1. PUBLIC FINANCE
2. THEORY OF PUBLIC GOODS
3. PUBLIC INTERVENTION (EFFICIENCY & EQUITY)
4. THE TAXATION SYSTEM
Full programme
1. PUBLIC FINANCE
Public sector economics and economic system; welfare economics;
poverty, inequality and redistribution; financial equilibrium models and
public administration; public budgets and public intervention
(assessment methods and cost-benefit analysis).
2. THEORY OF PUBLIC GOODS
Externalities, mixed public needs, merit goods, public factors; public
intervention reasons and limits; public intervention, game theory and
information; policies in favour of the poorest and families and effects on poverty.
3. PUBLIC INTERVENTION (EFFICIENCY & EQUITY)
Growth of spending and crisis of the welfare state; economic analysis of the social security, care, health and education sectors and a mention of the other sectors; monopoly, oligopoly and
public enterprises; privatization, liberalization and deregulation.
4. THE TAXATION SYSTEM
Distribution principles (benefit, sacrifice, capacity); the taxation system
(efficiency and equity); erosion, avoidance, evasion and assessment;
shifting; incidence; distribution; concepts of income and wealth (capital
gains); personal income tax, company income tax, capital gains tax.
Bibliography
P. Vagliasindi INTERVENTO PUBBLICO EFFICIENZA ED EQUITÀ.
Giappichelli Editore, 2008. e P. Vagliasindi (a cura di) LA RIFORMA DEL
SISTEMA FISCALE. TEORIA E PRATICA. Giappichelli Editore, forthcoming
2009.
Interested students may consult:
C. COSCIANI: SCIENZA DELLE FINANZE, Utet, Torino, 1991
H.ROSEN - SCIENZA DELLE FINANZE, McGraw Hill, Milano, 2004.
Interested student may also watch video-lezioni dei prof. P. Bosi, Prof. M.
C. Guerra (Consorzio Nettuno) Scienza delle Finanze, and the related
text:
P. BOSI (a cura di): SCIENZA DELLE FINANZE, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2004.
Information on other texts will be given during the lectures. Notes,
lecture notes and other informative material on the exam will be made
available during the course from the web page.
Teaching methods
Oral lessons, practical exercitations and seminars
Assessment methods and criteria
Written and oral exam
The knowledge and understanding will be assessed with questions which require a short answer specifically aimed at verifying the knowledge of the concepts and principles discussed in the course.
The communication skills, the ability to apply the acquired knowledge through appropriate arguments and reflections and the autonomy of judgment will be assessed with open questions with graph, expositions and essays which require a logical and coherent articulation and integration of different notions acquired during the course.
Learning skills will be assessed on the basis of a comprehensive assessment to the different questions. The oral test may fill any gaps which eventually emerge in the written test.
Moreover, optional written and oral discussion of additional material may take place to gain a deeper evaluation.
Other information
The lectures cover the entire course content and are supplemented by
practical exercises. Individual help is also provided in Office Hours.
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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