Eric Jones has found that excessive taxes were detrimental for pre-modern China's economic growth whereas moderate taxes were conducive for Europe's economic growth. This paper provides a political-economic answer to the question why these two tax systems came about. Taxation is only feasible...

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird ein einfaches Konzept einer föderalen Finanzverfassung für Deutschland vorgelegt.Die Finanzen der Gebietskörpershaften sollten nach dem Prinzip der institutionellen Kongruenz organisiert werden, d.h. so dass sich Nutznießer-, Entscheidungsträger- und...

Switzerland is often viewed as a federalist curiosity and a unique form of direct democracy. But this view does not provide a proper understanding of the country. A theory of Switzerland is necessary. A consideration of the initial, exogenous geographical situation of Swiss territory provides a...

The theory of optimal currency areas states that a currency union may succeed if the participating countries have complementary industry structures. If this is not the case a currency union does not, inevitably, have to fail because market forces will induce adjustments of the industry...

It is often disregarded that the euro is first of all a public good based on common institutions such the European Central Bank, the Governing Council and a network for executing transactions etc. Establishing a public good is fundamentally different from trade in private goods. A public good...

Public Choice is the merger between political science and economics. In the introductory sections of this survey it is investigated what we can expect from the logic of public choice. How far is it able to produce consistent results? Is public choice consistent with liberty? What can be done to...

The paper highlights the origins of Public Choice as a descendant of Public Finance.

Public Choice is the merger between political science and economics. In the introductory sections of this survey it is investigated what we can expect from the logic of public choice. How far is it able to produce consistent results? Is public choice consistent with liberty? What can be done to...

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird ein einfaches Konzept einer föderalen Finanzverfassung für Deutschland vorgelegt. Die Finanzen der Gebietskörperschaften sollten nach dem Prinzip der institutionellen Kongruenz organisiert werden, d.h. so dass sich Nutznießer-, Entscheidungsträger- und...