Public Finance

One part of the Department of Public Finance is engaged in analysing current government taxing and spending and their effects on wealth distribution, efficiency and equity.

The other part of the department focuses on the kinds of market failure – externalities, public goods, imperfect competition, and asymmetric information. The role of the government is examined.

The department of public finance prepares students both theoretically and practically. All aspects of public finance – taxation and government spending and their economic effects are analysed. Attention is also paid to practical aspects of labour, capital and consumption taxation. Successful students are able to understand the macroeconomic impacts of both state budget and state debt and perceive the consequences of population ageing on sustainability of public finances (especially pension and health system). Students will be familiar with concepts of budgetary policy used in European Union.

Using case studies, students improve their analytical and presentation skills.

Students usually enter the career on Ministry of Finance, in various consulting firms, as tax advisers or run their own business.

Science and Research – Main research topics

• Taxation, subsidies, and other public revenues (Efficiency, Optimal Taxation, Incidence, Externalities, Redistributive Effects, Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
• Publicly Provided Goods (Project Evaluation, Social Discount Rate)
• National Government Expenditures and Related Policies (Health, Education, Welfare Programs, Social Security and Public Pensions, Procurement
• Budget, Budget Systems Deficit, and Debt
• State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations