This paper examines the empirical analysis of the five main hypotheses subsumed under
the generic term fiscal illusion. After placing these hypotheses within a common theoretical …

While some political scientists have maintained that politics has little, if anything, to do with
governmental output, economists have looked at expenditures as reflecting median voter …

In recent years, there has been a steadily increasing interest on the part of economists in
happiness research. We argue that reported subjective well-being is a satisfactory empirical …

New public management is a topical phrase to describe how management techniques from
the private sector are now being applied to public services. This book provides a completely …

How does complexity affect people's reaction to tax changes? To answer this question, we
conduct an experiment in which subjects work for a piece rate and face taxes. One treatment …

Bolivia decentralized in an effort to deepen democracy, improve public services, and make
government more accountable. Unlike many countries, Bolivia succeeded. Over the past …

Because of the obtrusive manner in which they are normally paid, property taxes are likely
the most salient taxes in the US However, they are much less salient to homeowners with tax …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the demand side of the public sector and
focuses on normative rather than positive models. The political economy of the local public …

This paper empirically analyzes whether government size is conducive or detrimental to life
satisfaction in a cross-section of 74 countries. We thus provide a test of the longstanding …

Public economics is an exciting topic. It deals with key issues facing governments all round
the world. The subject matter—taxes, government spending, and the national debt—is very …