Existing numerical characterizations of the optimal income tax have been based on a limited number of model specifications. As a result, they do not reveal which properties are general. We determine the optimal tax in the quasi-linear model under weaker assumptions than have previously been used;...

The marginal cost of public funds (MCF) measures the cost to the economy of raising government revenue. The MCF can be used to guide reform of the tax system and to determine an efficient level of government expenditure. It can also be used as an input into cost-benefit analysis. Previous...

The private provision mechanism is individually incentive compatible but inefficient. The Lindahl mechanism is efficient but not incentive compatible. We analyze the outcome of the manipulated Lindahl mechanism. When the demand announcements of participants are unrestricted the Lindahl mechanism...

The paper analyzes a multi-country extension of the Barro model of productive public expenditure. In the presence of infrastructural externalities between countries the provision of infrastructure will be inefficiently low if countries do not coordinate. This provides a role for a supra-national...