In 1905, Georg Friedrich Knapp published The State Theory of Money in his native German, claiming that money is a "creature of law" and not connected to metals via some intrinsic value. When the English translation appeared in 1924, apparently at the wishes of John Maynard Keynes, the German...

Die Bundesregierung ist derzeit nicht nur bemüht, die Vereinbarungen aus dem Koalitionsvertrag umzusetzen, sondern plant darüber hinaus weitere Gesetzesvorhaben. Doch gleichzeitig lässt das Wachstum der Steuereinnahmen nach. So übersteigen die resultierenden Mehrausgaben den...

This paper discusses the implications of autonomous-connected-electric-shared vehicles (ACES) for public finance, which have so far been widely ignored. In OECD countries, 5-12% of federal and up to 30% of local tax revenue are currently from fuel and vehicle taxation. The diffusion of ACES will...

This paper discusses the evolution of money and the monetary system. The origins of money debate is framed in terms of functionalism versus chartalism. Endogenous Schumpeterian dynamics apply to the evolution of money and monetary systems, and those dynamics are supportive of the functionalist...

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role of mayor's characteristics (education, experience and gender) on fiscal indicators of Brazilian municipalities. We use regression discontinuity and the outcomes of close elections to identify causal effects for 2000, 2004 and 2008. We find...

Studies of take up in social insurance programs rarely distinguish between initial enrollment and retention of beneficiaries. This paper shows that retention plays a meaningful role in incomplete take up: despite knowledge of and eligibility for a near-cash public benefit, many participants exit...

This paper studies the role of governments and its link to trust. We argue that the public's trust strongly depends on governments delivering on their core tasks in a market economy. In some economies, a neglect of core tasks can be observed and there seems to be some erosion, notably in terms...

In the last decade of XX century, has expanded the area of capital movements, which included the former socialist countries. Thus, the countries that are attracting some of the centers of the capital and at the same time, participate in the export of capital, it is impossible not to have engaged...

While it is recognized that effective state institutions are pivotal for economic development, it is not well understood what their origins are and what explains their cross-country differences. We focus on budget institutions in developing economies, as efficient public finance planning in such...

The purpose of the article is analysis of participatory budgets as a tool for shaping decisions of local communities on the use of public funds. The authors ask the question of whether the current practice of using the participatory budget is actually a growing trend in local government finances...

This article deals with the problem of a discrepancy between the recommendations of the theory of public finance, in its various trends, and decentralisation processes in practice. The analysis is both theoretical and empirical. The aim of the discussion is to present the theoretical findings...

Two challenges in the literature have inspired this paper. First, the highly contradictory puzzle of debates on the “public budget–economic growth” correlation, explainable in great measure by the inadequacy of involved modeling tools (assumptions and specifications) with studied samples....

Personal income tax (hereinafter referred to as PIT) has a short history, as it appeared in tax systems of EU countries as late as at the end of the 18th century. As a specific universal structure it performs two economic functions: providing financial means for covering some public expenses...

Die Finanzierung der Europäischen Union ist seit Beginn der europäischen Integration ein fortwährender Konfliktpunkt zwischen den Mitgliedstaaten. Das heutige Eigenmittelsystem, mit dem die EU den überwiegenden Teil ihrer Einnahmen von den Mitgliedstaaten erhält, ist vor allem als Ergebnis...

The main purpose of this article is analysis of the relationship between local tax and fee policies in Poland. We argue that local authorities have similar and significant discretion over tax and fee policy and, therefore, they can be analysed in a similar way. Links between these policies are...

The current European fiscal framework is highly complex. The multitude of fiscal rules and the discretion in their enforcement precludes an effective oversight and weakens the effectiveness of fiscal rules substantially. Against this background, we present a proposal for a careful refocusing of...

Der Europäischen Union stehen nach ihrer Osterweiterung erhebliche finanzielle Herausforderungen und Verteilungskämpfe bevor. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, Reformvorschläge für das Finanzierungssystem der EU anhand normativer Kriterien zu diskutieren. Nach einer Analyse der bestehenden...

Introduction: debt, deficits and austerity -- We must live within our means -- Governments must balance their books -- We must tighten our belts -- Don't go into debt -- Taxes are a burden -- Austerity: there is no alternative -- Always an alternative.

Faced with significant economic and fiscal challenges, the Brazilian government is reforming its fiscal framework to promote fiscal sustainability and reduce debt. Since 2015, Brazil has struggled with its deepest economic recession in decades and ongoing political tensions. The fiscal situation...

Digitization promises to reshape fiscal policy by transforming how governments collect, process, share, and act on information. More and higher-quality information can improve not only policy design for tax and spending, but also systems for their management, including tax administration and...

Im Report wird das "Neue Magische Viereck der Wirtschaftspolitik" dargestellt. Es hat vier Ziele: Materieller Wohlstand und ökonomische Stabilität; Nachhaltigkeit der Staatstätigkeit und Staatsfinanzen; soziale Nachhaltigkeit sowie ökologische Nachhaltigkeit. Hinter jedem Ziel stehen...

During the sovereign debt crisis, all euro countries have deployed "austerity packages", believing that they could regain the path of growth implementing structural reforms and cutting government spending. Such policies should have led to an initial decline in GDP followed by recovery and a...

The Government Revenue Dataset (GRD) was launched in September 2014 and, in the few years since, has gone on to be recognized as the go-to source for researchers and policymakers seeking cross-country data on government revenues and taxes. However, as with any such project, successive rounds of...

This paper studies the long-run fiscal consequences of balanced budget rules (BBR) that are enshrined in a country's constitution. Using historical data dating back to the 19th century and applying a difference-in-difference approach we find that the introduction of a constitutional-BBR reduces...