TOPICS IN PUBLIC FINANCE Professor: Nathalie.Mathieu-Bolh@uvm.edu Tel: (802)-656-094 Office: 335, Old Mill Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30-3:30 or by appointment. Class webpage: https://bb.uvm.edu/ ~ COURSE DESCRIPTION ~ TOPICS COVERED This course revolves around four topics in public finance: Government deficits and debt, social insurance, equity and efficiency of taxation, and externalities. The focus of this course will be on some of the most debated issues in public finance: Should we worry about government deficits and debt? How to reform Social Security? How to reform the tax system? Should we tax junk food or marijuana? What are the effects of environmental policies? We will study basic and advanced economic theory to understand the successes and shortcomings of current public policies. We will explore different ways for reforming public policy programs or the tax system discussing and debating the results of recent research articles. Students will extend the study of public finance writing a research paper, which either relates to one of the topics covered in class or explores other public finance topics. OBJECTIVES - Achieving a deeper understanding of economic theory. - Exploring the latest research findings in public finance. - Reaching a deeper understanding of public finance debates through facts and arguments raised by economists. - Reinforcing student skills in research, written, and oral presentation. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Homework and class participation: 30% of the semester performance Article or book chapter presentation: 20% of the semester performance Pop quizzes: 20% of the semester performance Research paper: 30% of the semester performance
- Homework: All students are expected to come to class prepared so that we can have meaningful discussions. The homework preparations are typed, printed and turned in during class. They constitute the largest part of the participation grade. When research papers are covered, the homework consists in preparing either a discussion (1 paper) or a debate (two papers). Preparation for discussions: Students need to turn in their responses to the discussion questions in class the day the paper is presented. Preparation for debates: Students need to turn in their debate preparation following the guidelines posted online in class on the day of the debate preparation. - Article or book chapter presentation: Students will present a research article in class (ten minute presentation). - Research paper: Students will write a 10 page research paper and present it in class. They present their work to the class and the presentation is followed by a discussion. The proposal is due October 13 and the first version is due on November 15 (see guidelines). Missing those deadlines would result in losing 10 percentage points per day late. - Pop quizzes: The quizzes cover the textbook selected chapters, class lectures and the papers presented in class. READINGS Selected chapters from: - Public Finance and Public Policy by Jonathan Gruber, Fifth edition, Worth Publishers. - Foundations of Modern Macroeconomics by Ben Heijdra and Frederic Van Der Ploeg. - Handbook of Health Economics edited by Cuyler and Newhouse - Handbook of Macroeconomics edited by Taylor and Woodford Selected research articles from peer-reviewed journals. ~ PROVISIONAL COURSE SCHEDULE ~ Week 1: 08/30: Syllabus Introduction 09/01: Introduction
Week 2 09/06 Elmendorf and Mankiw: Government Debt, in Handbook of Macroeconomics. 09/08 CHAPTER 6 Heijdra and Van Der Ploeg The Government Budget Deficit Week 3: 09/13 CHAPTER 6 Heijdra and Van Der Ploeg The Government Budget Deficit 09/15 CHAPTER 6 Heijdra and Van Der Ploeg The Government Budget Deficit Week 4: 9/20 Social insurance theory 9/22 Social Security Week 5: 09/27 CHAPTER 17 Heijdra & Van Der Ploeg: Intergenerational Economics 09/29 CHAPTER 17 Heijdra & Van Der Ploeg: Intergenerational Economics Week 6: 10/04 Presentation and discussion Pension Policy in EU25 and its Possible Impact on Elderly Poverty, Michael Fuchs; Aaron George Grech; Asghar Zaidi, 2006, Working Paper, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE, CASE Papers 10/06 Presentations and debate of: 1- Saving social security by Diamond and Orzag, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2005. 2- Structural reform of social security, by Feldstein, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2005. Week 7: 10/11 CHAPTER 19 The equity implications of taxation: Tax incidence 10/13 No Class- Washington Conference
Week 8 10/18 Presentation and discussion How Progressive is the U.S. Federal Tax System? A Historical and International Perspective, Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2007. 10/20 CHAPTER 20 Tax inefficiencies and their implications for optimal taxation Week 9 10/25 Distortive effects of taxation on static and intertemporal choices 10/27 Distortive effects of taxation on static and intertemporal choices Week 10 11/01 Presentation and discussion of two papers Taxing Consumption and Other Sins, James R. Hines Jr., NBER Working Paper, 2006 Simplicity and Enforceability, Joel Slemrod and Jon Bakija in Taxing Ourselves, 4 th edition, MIT Press, 2008. 11/03 Gruber CHAPTER 5: Externalities Week 11 11/08 Presentations and debate of: 1- Jason M. Fletcher,a David Frisvold,b and Nathan. Can Soft Drink Taxes Reduce Population Weight? Contemporary Economic Policy 2010 2- Mathieu-Bolh and Colagiuri, Social Habits, Calorie Awareness, and the Effect of Sugar- Sweetened Beverage Taxes on Male and Female Body Weight, Working paper 2016. 11/10 Presentation and discussion Powell L, Chriqui J, Khan T, Wada R, Chaloupka F. Assessing the Potential Effectiveness of Food and Beverage Taxes and Subsidies for Improving Public Health: A Systematic Review of Prices, Demand and Body Weight Outcomes. Obesity Review 2013.
Week 12 11/15 Presentation and discussion Stavins. What can we learn from the grand policy experiment? Lessons from the SO2 allowance trading. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 1998. 11/17 Presentation and discussion Davis et al. The price elasticity of marijuana demand: evidence from crowd-sourced transaction data, Empirical Economics, 2016. Week 13 - THANKSGIVING WEEK Week 14 11/29 Research presentations and discussions (Topics and readings TBA) 12/01 Research presentations and discussions (Topics and readings TBA) Week 15 12/06 Research presentations and discussions (Topics and readings TBA) 12/08 Research presentations and discussions (Topics and readings TBA) ~ POLICIES~ You need to be aware of UVM policies by reading the UVM Rights and Responsibilities of Undergraduate Students. I also have a few specific guidelines. Absences: - For absences, accepted excuses are limited to: Illness or religious event documented by the Dean of Students office. Athletic event documented by your coach request. University sanctioned events (ex: debate tournament) documented by your supervisor. Classroom Code of Conduct: - Students need to arrive in class on time. - To ensure the quality of discussions in class, everyone in the classroom needs to act in a respectful way. You can always talk to me during my office hours if you have any questions or concerns.