How did modern and centralized fiscal institutions emerge? We develop a model that explains (i) why pre-industrial states relied on private individuals to collect taxes; (ii) why after 1600 both England and France moved from competitive methods for collecting revenues to allocating the right to...

The central question in taxation and development is: "how does a government go from raising around 10% of GDP in taxes to raising around 40%"? This paper looks at the economic and political forces that shape the way that fiscal capacity is created and sustained. As well as reviewing the...

Birleşik Krallık'ta Mayıs 2010 genel seçimleri ile iktidara gelen koalisyon hükümetinin ilk icraatı mali krizi aşabilmek için kamu harcamalarında önemli oranda kesintiye gideceğini açıklamak oldu. Zira, Birleşik Krallık, bir taraftan hızla artmakta olan kamu borçları ile...

Economic issues will be key determinants of the outcome of the Scottish referendum on independence. Pensions are a key element of the economic case for or against independence. The costs of funding pensions in an independent Scotland would be influenced by mortality risks, the costs of borrowing...

This paper examines Singapore's fiscal position and its unique way of financing targeted welfare programs. We examine how reserves are accumulated through fiscal discipline during times of phenomenal economic growth in Singapore and when Singapore was enjoying demographic dividend. The existence...

This paper presents a simple agency model to explain why third-party income reporting by employers dramatically improves income tax enforcement. Modern firms have a large number of employees and carry out complex production tasks, which requires the use of accurate business records. Because such...

Fiscal reform is central to the process of transforming a Soviet-type economy to a market economy, for with the emergence of a significant private sector, the boundaries between the public and private sectors needs to be more sharply drawn. The paper draws lessons from the experience of the...

In the context of several examples of problems associated with present budgetary conventions, I revisit Musgrave's conceptual division of the government's program into Allocation, Distribution and Stabilization Branch subbudgets. I suggest progress towards Musgrave's ideal of a more informative...