Public Finance Specialisation

Total units 24 Units

Areas of interest Policy Studies
Specialisation code PUFN-SPEC

Academic career Postgraduate
Academic Contact Prof Miranda Stewart

This specialisation engages students in the question of financing government and the interaction of tax, spending and fiscal policies with the market economy in an era of fiscal austerity, growing inequality and economic disruption. Students examine the policies, institutions and regulatory structures for raising public finance, and for managing public expenditures. Students will examine principles and conceptual benchmarks of public finance policy including efficiency, equity and redistribution, and administration and compliance and will learn about the politics of taxation and expenditures. They will understand the core features of budget and fiscal institutions in the executive, legislature and role of the judiciary. Particular emphasis is given to the way in which taxes and expenditures interact with, shape and are themselves affected by market, household and individual decisions in the contemporary national and global economy.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate a working knowledge of core principles of public finance, fiscal instruments and institutions, and the budget process.
Engage critically in theoretical and practical literature on tax and expenditure policy.
Analyse and understand the gap and interaction between theory and practice for taxes, spending and the budget.
Reflect critically on the role of taxes and expenditures in market and private decision making and other areas of public policy.
Demonstrate the ability to engage actively in reform debates about taxes and expenditures, management of the budget in times of austerity and the use of fiscal policy in the economy.