14491 - Public Finances Modulübersicht

Module Number: 14491
Module Title:Public Finances
  Öffentliche Finanzen
Department: Faculty 5 - Business, Law and Social Sciences
Responsible Staff Member:
  • Prof. Dr. oec. habil. Schnellenbach, Jan
Language of Teaching / Examination:English
Duration:1 semester
Frequency of Offer: Every summer semester
Credits: 6
Learning Outcome:After completing this module, students will be able to engage in debates about issues involving fiscal policy (public spending, taxation, public debt) concerning both efficiency and equity of policies. They will be able to analyse public budgets and their economic and political effects.
Contents:The following issues involving public budgets will be discussed:
  • Public goods
  • Externalities
  • The long-term evolution of public spending
  • Efficient direct and indirect taxes
  • Equity issues in taxation
  • Economic theories of political decision-making
  • Short- and long-term effects of public debt
  • Intergovernmental relations in federal systems
  • Direct versus representative democratic decision making on budgets
  • Governing local and global commons.
For each of these topics, both the theoretical foundations and empirical literature will be discussed in class.
Recommended Prerequisites:Some basic knowlegde of Microeconomics is helpful, but not necessary.
Mandatory Prerequisites:None
Forms of Teaching and Proportion:
  • Lecture / 2 Hours per Week per Semester
  • Exercise / 1 Hours per Week per Semester
  • Self organised studies / 135 Hours
Teaching Materials and Literature:The basic textbook will be:
  • Arye L. Hillman, Public Finance and Public Policy, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2019.
German-speaking students can also use:
  • Charles B. Blankart, Öffentliche Finanzen in der Demokratie, 9. Auflage, München: Vahlen, 2017.
Module Examination:Continuous Assessment (MCA)
Assessment Mode for Module Examination:
  • Mid-term presentation in the tutorial, 15 min. (30%)
  • Written exam, 45 min. (70%)
Evaluation of Module Examination:Performance Verification – graded
Limited Number of Participants:None
Part of the Study Programme:
  • no assignment
Remarks:None
Module Components:
  • Public Finances (Lecture)
  • Public Finances (Tutorial)
Components to be offered in the Current Semester:
  • no assignment