This book analyzes the relative balance of bargaining power between governments and the banks in charge of underwriting their debt during the first financial globalization. Brazil and Mexico, both indebted countries that underwent major changes in reputation and negotiating power as they faced financial crises, provide valuable case studies of government strategies for obtaining the best possible outcomes. Previous literature has focused on bankers' perspectives and emphasized that debtors were submissive during negotiations, but Weller finds that governments' negotiating power varied over time. He presents a new analytical framework that interprets when and why officials were likely to negotiate loans more or less effectively, with newly uncovered primary sources from debtors' and creditors' archives suggesting key causes of variation: fiscal accounts, political stability, and creditors' exposure and reputation.

There has never been a more urgent need for governments to secure adequate and stable resources for social development: inequalities are on the rise, a severe global food crisis threatens to eliminate the achievements some countries have made over recent years, and the neoliberal policy toolkit has been largely discredited.
'Financing Social Policy' shifts the policy debates beyond examining expenditures and austerity, to revenues and resources. It examines financing options that would be conducive to social development, creating and strengthening sustainable social programmes that work together with economic policies.
The contributors in this volume explore the economic, social and political implications and the developmental impact of a wide range of potential resources - including taxation, aid, mineral rents, social insurance, pension funds and remittances - for financing social policy in development countries.

The authors of this work are tax specialists representing both high-tax and low-tax jurisdictions. They address tax issues that impact business enterprises as well as individuals, presenting a sampling of issues, each addressed by a commentator whose practice deals directly with such matters on a regular basis. Countries covered are: Austria, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Italy, Liechtenstein, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles, and the USA. The reader will find a range of useful information, not only on the complexity of international taxation, but also its potential for the resolution of conflicts and the mitigation of unfair tax burdens through amortization and international co-operation.

Financing European Transport Infrastructure examines organisational arrangements for planning and financing transport infrastructure in Western Europe. It covers all modes of transport - road, rail, sea, air, urban, and inland waterways - and asks why their financing arrangements are so different. It looks at the division of responsibilities between central and local government, and the growing role of autonomous public bodies, the European Commission and private finance. It examines the consequences of investment failing to keep up with demand - in congestion, environmental damage and slower growth - and the impact of new approaches, including public-private partnerships.

Environmental Taxation and the Double Dividend explores the welfare effects of environmental taxes in a second-best framework. It starts from a benchmark model which reveals that environmental taxes typically exacerbate pre-existing tax distortions, even if the revenues are used to cut other distortionary taxes. Subsequent chapters extend the benchmark model by introducing capital, terms of trade effects, transfers, involuntary unemployment, or environmental feedbacks. Thus, the book reveals several channels through which a double-dividend can be obtained. However, it also shows the trade-offs they induce. Simulations with the models illustrate the importance of these trade-offs for European economies.

This book is a useful tool for graduates, post graduates, researchers and staff of universities with fiscal and environmental departments. International organizations such as the IMF, OECD and the World Bank, and policy makers within governments: Ministries of Finance/Economics/Environment. Research Institutes, both private and public will also benefit from this piece of work.

Presenting capitalisms as open, system-like configurations, this book argues four ideal-typical varieties (liberal, statist, corporatist, meso-communitarian) and analyzes the socio-economic performances of advanced capitalisms.

This edition brings the book completely up to date with the provisions of Finance Act 2019, including: * Substantial increase in income tax higher rate threshold * Revised Scottish income tax limits * Benefits in kind for electric motor cars * Capital allowances special rate reduction * Annual investment allowance temporary increase * Structures and buildings allowances * Reform of NICs employment allowance * Retention of Class 2 NICs * PPR relief for final period of ownership * Changes to CGT entrepreneurs' relief conditions * Corporate capital losses restriction * Further extension to freezing of VAT thresholds

European welfare states are currently under stress and the 'social contracts' that underpin them are being challenged. First, welfare spending has arguably 'grown to limits' in a number of countries while expanding everywhere in the 1990s in line with higher unemployment. Second, demographic change and the emergence of new patterns of family and working life are transforming the nature of 'needs'. Third, the economic context and the policy autonomy of nation states has been transformed by 'globalization'. This book considers the implications of these challenges for European welfare states at the end of the twentieth century with interdisciplinary contributions from first-rate political scientists, economists and sociologists including Paul Ormerod.

Property Tax Reform in Developing Countries provides a conceptual framework for property tax reform with the intention of making the most compelling argument possible to persuade the reader as to its validity. The text claims that a model for property tax reform in developing countries is derived from a theoretical distillation of empirical experience. The primary objective of this study is to establish, through logic, theory and observation: what constitutes a good property tax system, for whom, and under what conditions; why such a system works; and how inferior systems can be upgraded to approximate well-functioning systems. Property Tax Reform in Developing Countries develops its examination in three stages. First, a conceptual framework is presented for the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of property tax reform in developing countries. Second, attempts to reform property taxation in four developing countries are examined in detail. Finally, the results of the reform efforts described in the four case studies are evaluated and guidelines for reform are offered. The study concludes with specific recommendations for reforming property tax systems in developing countries, based on the conceptual framework and synthesizing lessons of the case studies.

Any decision by a company regarding the use of profits to pay tax, remuneration or shareholder returns has ethical implications. Sharing Profits reviews high-profile ethical issues facing companies in how profits are used, and proposes a framework for understanding the ethical implications of decisions.

This is a basic examination of basic tax systems, for both Layperson and Student. It describes the various forms of tax, both historical and theoretical. It examines each in turn, bringing insight to its advantages and hazards. The Author gives a cursory study of tax impacts, the problems of tax collection, and the amounts of revenue, which can be expected. The basic thesis of the Work consists in the idea current American methods of tax form and tax collection need serious revision. The Author attempts to express why he holds this belief, the observed detriment to economic performance of current tax placement, and the causes of such economic disadvantage. He presents potential alterations to the current tax intermix, suggesting consolidation of tax forms would present savings in cost of tax collection, and ease of payment to Taxpayers. He outlines his beliefs on the proper tax system for American society.

This book explores new forms of private, mutual municipal, public-private and "reverse" state funding of public investments, co-payments and shared contributions, vouchers, and pooled public risk-financing. It includes case studies taken from the Nordic countries, UK, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey and South Korea.

This book opens up the secret world of tax havens and offshore finance centres (OFCs), a vast offshore business valued at over one trillion US dollars. It is a timely and original analysis of the role of OFCs in the emerging global economy. The book discusses who uses OFCs, how OFCs work and what drives their development. Extensive use of case study material from Jersey illustrates the growth of a successful OFC and its impact upon a small island.

The sharp decline in U.S. productivity growth in the 1970s has brought about a renewed interest in economic policies to expand aggregate supply. Particular importance has been given to the role played by government intervention in the form of taxes, transfer payments, and regulation. This volume asks just what is known about the effect of government policy on the productive capacity of the nation. It also looks at the role played by capital formation, technological change, and the quality of the work force.

A wide-ranging survey of the theory and evidence on public goods, presenting the main literature on public goods, both theoretical and empirical, in a systematic manner. The breadth and depth of the book's coverage extends the existing literature in many ways.

Monetary policies and international standards and norms on banking regulations have, once again, come to the forefront of the policy discussion in developed nations due to the recent crisis in the world's financial markets. This discussion is far from new, nor does it apply exclusively to the world's most advanced economies. A stable monetary policy and a sound and well-enforced regulatory regime can help developing nations channel financial resources more efficiently into investments. For open economies it can also act as a buffer, an important stability factor in today's shaky market environment.
This book assesses the challenges facing monetary policies and the independence of central banks. It explores banking systems and examines the impact of monetary policy and banking sector regulations on bank efficiency and economic growth in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, at the same time investigating the level of convergence of regulatory practices and efficiency to EU Mediterranean standards.

This book features the main papers of Gunter Schmolders (1903-1991), a pioneer in economic psychology for the first time in the English language. Schmolders incorporated psychological considerations in his economic analyses at a time when the distance between the two disciplines was much larger than today. His research on 'fiscal psychology' is of particular and lasting interest, impacting greatly on continental economics. During his lifetime, Schmolders failed to build bridges to enable his contemporary fellow economists to appreciate the importance of his work, however the relevance of his approach is much more obvious in the world's current economic climate.

This book offers a comprehensive assessment of the Mauritian economy and its financial system. The author investigates the pre- and post- crisis financial and economic environment of Mauritius thoroughly and looks to the future potential development of the economy. Chapters feature in-depth analysis of such aspects as the banking sector, the stock market, monetary policy, capital structure, the hedging practices of Mauritian firms, and the housing market in Mauritius, among others. Moreover, the author not only builds a credit risk model for Mauritian bankers, but also develops a financial stability model to provide the reader with a full account of the Mauritian economy. The author ends with a chapter dedicated to a 2030 vision for Mauritius. This book will be of interest to researchers, students, policy-makers, central bankers and economists who wish to explore an example of an upper-income developing economy in depth.

Population ageing has been the subject of much discussion in recent years, often expressed in alarmist language that advocates evasive policy action to avert an imminent demographic crisis. This forward-looking book evaluates the debates surrounding population ageing and offers a more optimistic outlook on its effect on the economy.William Jackson initially considers general theoretical approaches to population ageing, particularly in relation to the rising dependency burden. He then goes on to examine traditional topics such as employment, productivity, pensions and social security, along with less traditional topics such as informal care, within the context of long-run structural changes. The author draws on an extensive range of economic literature and considers neoclassical arguments before analysing the issue from a non-neoclassical economic, social gerontological and sociological perspective. He maintains that conventional economic theory tends to overstate the effects of population ageing on the economy. Thus, he argues that while population ageing is a complex issue requiring some policy adjustments, it is a less acute problem than is suggested in popular and academic discussion. This book will be of great importance to scholars and students with an interest in population economics and the economics of social policy.

This book examines existing mineral fiscal policies covering income taxation, royalties, free carried and participative (community and government) interests and also highlights the impacts of these policies on the feasibility of mineral projects as well as on revenue and other benefits to the State. While publications already exist on the subject matter, they have invariably approached the topic primarily from a Government standpoint rather than the mining industry. This book aims to provide a balance in this debate by comparing the financial outcomes gained or foregone by both Government and industry under different policy regimes. The discussions are supported by quantitative examples to more clearly articulate the potential outcomes and better inform future fiscal policy decisions.

Provides an overview of state and local taxation, the current and future outlook across the nation, the role of taxes in economic development, and tax administration. Analyzes and compares all types of state and local taxes-income (individual and corporate) sales (retail and wholesale taxes on food, medicine, gas, and electricity), excise and consumption (on motor fuel, tobacco, and alcoholic beverages and on food, lodging, amusements, parimutuels, and lotteries), property (on different types of property), and severance taxes (on timber and minerals). Examines the philosophy behind the different taxes, recent trends, and current and future policy options. Appendices describing policy analysis and evaluation and listing key sources of information about state and local taxes, many statistical exhibits, and selective bibliography further enhance this reference for undergraduate and graduate students, the general public, and for public administrators, economists, and political scientists.

Population ageing is an important trend which will be experienced in industrialized countries in the early years of the next century. This significant book examines aspects of population ageing and pensions, with an emphasis on the design and use of simple economic models to focus on particular aspects of a very broad problem. The analysis of pensions presents many complex problems. A major aim of this book is to demonstrate how reasonably simple economic models can be designed and used to shed some light on the issues involved in population growth and pension provision. The basic analytics of population growth and pension structure are first explored. Projections for Australia are examined and used to model ageing and social expenditure and to estimate the 'burden' of aged care on future workers. The author goes on to investigate pensions and pension finance, and examines several types of economic model before turning to the analysis of alternative pension arrangements using a lifetime simulation model. The results of the study suggest that both lower contribution rates and a universal pension encourage a later retirement age. This book will prove invaluable to students and scholars of public sector economics, welfare economics, social economics and public finance.

In the Netherlands, CPB often adopts the MIMIC model to explore the structural labour market implications of changes in the tax and social-insurance system. This applied general-equilibrium model combines microeconomic theory with a rich institutional detail and a firm empirical basis. This book describes the structure of MIMIC and discusses a large number of policy measures that have been proposed during the last five years. Moreover, it elaborates on proposals that are currently in discussion, such as the flat tax. To ease the understanding of the model, we also present a core version with only a few equations.

Privatization of government services in the United States has accelerated in the last two decades, especially at the state and local levels. This work focuses on contracting out--the most widely used method of privatization. Contributors from academia, consulting firms, government agencies, and private providers discuss the why and how of contracting out and examine the results of contracted services, including quality and cost measures of performance. Some chapters apply economic theory to contracting out. Others examine recent case studies of contracting out initiatives.

The book begins with a thoughtful essay on the theory of privatization and examines the recent record of use in state and local governments. Section 1 takes an overview look at contracting out. Section 2 examines contracting in the criminal justice area as well as examples of contracting in such diverse areas as trash collection and the operation of golf courses. The final section looks in depth at the mechanics, obstacles, and effects of contracting. The book points out the pluses and minuses of contracting out and points to the lessons that can be learned from the recent history of this privatization technique.