This paper: (1) shows that optimal transition dynamics in a simple endogenous growth model can account for much of the behavior of the stock of public capital in the U.S. economy over the last 70 or so years; (2) shows that the observed decline in the U.S. ratio of public to private capital...

This paper examines the economic effects of various fundamental tax reforms in a model with two types of public-sector expenditures; one type contributes to human capital formation while the other provides direct utility to households. We show that a fully-optimal reform requires the government...

This paper investigates a variety of objectives that are commonly used to motivate government fiscal action. These include welfare maximization, stabilization and growth maximization. The policies are compared on the basis of their implications for welfare, volatility and growth. We show that...

This paper investigates a variety of objectives that are commonly used to motivate government fiscal action. These include, welfare maximization, stabilization and growth maximization. The policies are compared on the basis of their implications for welfare, volatility and growth. We show that...