| Synopsis: |
This book focuses on the distributional consequences of the public sector. It examines and documents, both theoretically and empirically, the effects of government spending and taxation on personal distribution, i.e., on families and individuals. In addition, it investigates the relationship between the public sector and functional distribution of national income. In this respect, three sides of government activity are encompassed. Firstly, who benefits from government expenditures - that is, public consumption - such as schooling, highways, and police and fire protection? Secondly, who are the beneficiaries of government transfer programs? And thirdly, who bears the tax burden? It also analyzes government activity on the federal level and looks at the distribution of both the costs and benefits of a single government program such as the Social Security system in the U.S. A key feature is the empirical studies of other countries, i.e. countries of the European Union, Poland, Australia and South Korea, as well as comparative studies among a set of countries. |