Cursos / 1º Ciclo / Faculty of Economy and Business Management :: Economics

Versao Portuguesa

FINANÇAS PÚBLICAS - 2018/2019

3º curricular year
Semestralidade: 2nd semester
ECTS: 6

Teachers

Leading Teacher: Prof. Doutor Fernando Almeida
Assistant Professor: Mestre Marta Quaresma

Class type and School hours

Orientação Tutorial : 1 Horas
Teórico-prática : 2 Horas

Teaching Language

Portuguese

Main Aims/Objectives

Master theory and practice of public finance, aiming to provide students with scientific analysis tools enabling:
critical analysis of the main items of public expenditure in European societies, particularizing the context of uncertainty - health, education, social security versus private insurance; study the public debt economy; knowledge of Governance and Public Management; study of the phenomenon of corruption from the perspective of Economics.

Specific Aims/Objectives

1 - Critically analyze the main items of public expenditure in European societies, particularizing the context of uncertainty - health, education, social security versus private insurance;
2 - Study the Economics of Public Debt;
3 - Governance, Accountability and Public Management;
4 - Study the phenomenon of corruption following the methodological perspective of Economics - Economics of Corruption.

Skills to be acquired

The student should be able to frame and critically analyze the issues observed on the public sphere in everyday life using scientific tools; and be able to design expected impact scenarios of public policy over organizations and at the macroeconomic level.

Teaching Procedures

Lectures;
Critical debates of science-based current issue of the Portuguese and European Public Finance, aiming the link between theory and reality.
Development, presentation and defense of research topics within the tutorials guidelines.

Programme

1 - Public Expenditure - Theory and Public Policy in a Context of Uncertainty:

Assymmetric information, private insurance, social security and health;
Inequality, Poverty and Social Welfare: Poverty versus inequality; GINI index and Lorenz curves; Aversion to Inequality and the Atkinson index;

2 - Public Expenditure: evaluation and trends of public expenditure structure; public expenditure by functional classification; performance and efficiency of public expenditure; cost-benefit analysis.

3 - Institutional Economics and Governance indicators: the correlation between the economic performance of nations and the quality of institutions; approach to the concepts of Governance and Accountability; Institutional Economics and the new models of Public Management.

4 - The Economics of Corruption:
Corruption versus Lobbying
Trends in developed countries; specificities of corruption in countries in the developing world;
The measurement of corruption - the statistical indicators available;
The theoretical foundations of Crime Economy; anti-corruption policies and reform proposals.

5 - The Economics of Public Debt
public debt and state funding needs:
Public debt concepts and tools
The Ricardian equivalence: public debt is wealth?
                  Arithmetic of deficits and public debt;
                  budget constraint, deficits and seigniorage;
                  The debt-product;
                  public debt and Ponzi games.
The sustainability of public finances:
The tax burdent and equity between generations
The intertemporal budget constraint.

6 - The approach of Public Choice school to Public Finance
Normative approach versus Positive Approach;
Democracy and political market;
Keynesian policies in a democratic context;
The concept of Economic Constitution and Fiscal Constitution.

7 - The Fiscal Policy in the European Union
Fiscal policy in EMU
The pact of stability and growth
Budget criteria
Budget performance in the EU
The excessive deficit procedure
The experience of the excessive deficit procedure
The stability and growth programs
The debt criterion - discussion
The review of the Stability and Growth Pact.

Evaluation Type

2 continuous assessment tests (50% / 50%)
Development, presentation and discussion of research papers.

Teaching Resources

Newspapers and journals;
Recommended reading;
Data Show;
Research of national and international databases.

Sustainability Objectives

Keywords

Public finance
Sustainability of Public Finance
Budgetary Policy
Economics of Public Debt
Social Security
Stability and growth pact
Governance Indicators
Corruption
Fiscal Constitution
Public School Choice

Main Bibliography

Author TRIGO PEREIRA, Paulo et al
Title Economia e Finanças Públicas
Edition 5ª ed.
Place Lisboa
Editor Escolar Editora
Year 2016
Author Santos, J. Albano
Title Finanças Públicas
Edition
Place Lisboa
Editor INA Editora
Year 2016
Author ROSEN, Harvey; GAYER, Ted
Title Public Finance
Edition 10th
Editor McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Year 2013

Complementary Bibliography

Author Hans-Werner Sinn
Title The Euro Trap: On Bursting Bubbles, Budgets, and B
Author Donatella della Porta and Alberto Vannucci
Title The Hidden Order of Corruption
Edition new edition
Place
Editor Routledge
Year 2012