公共经济学的学科定位问题研究

公共经济学是一门研究公共部门经济活动及效应的学科,其地位和影响日益受到重视。本文分析了公共经济学的理论发展和学说演进过程,对公共经济学在研究范围和研究手段方面所体现的特殊性进行了探讨,并且分析了这一新兴学科与财政学、公共管理学、公共政策学等相关学科之间的联系和区别。本文认为,准确地把握公共经济学的学科定位并深化公共经济问题的研究,有助于科学、系统地揭示公共经济活动的内在规律性,也有助于提升公共部门的绩效水平。     

Introduction to monetary and macro economics

This introduces the symposium on monetary and macro economics.     

Retailing public goods: The economics of corporate social responsibility

This paper explores the feasibility and desirability of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). We identify CSR with creation of public goods or curtailment of public bads. Using a model with profit-maximizing firms, the paper shows that there is a direct parallel between CSR and traditional models of private provision of public goods. Indeed, firms that use CSR will produce public goods at exactly the same level as predicted by the standard voluntary contribution equilibrium for public goods. We compare CSR with government provision and charitable provision, discussing when CSR by private for-profit firms could have a comparative advantage in dealing with public goods provision.     

Social preferences and public economics: Mechanism design when social preferences depend on incentives

Social preferences such as altruism, reciprocity, intrinsic motivation and a desire to uphold ethical norms are essential to good government, often facilitating socially desirable allocations that would be unattainable by incentives that appeal solely to self-interest. But experimental and other evidence indicates that conventional economic incentives and social preferences may be either complements or substitutes, explicit incentives crowding in or crowding out social preferences. We investigate the design of optimal incentives to contribute to a public good under these effects would make either more or less use of explicit incentives, by comparison to a naive planner who assumes they are absent.     

Cultivating constructive discourse over economics and public policy

This paper addresses the demand for a pluralistic methodological approach to the science of economics. In responding to Robert Garnett’s artful criticism of an earlier statement of mine, I agree with him that understanding one’s intellectual opponent’s framework leads to greater scientific advancement than simply dismissing it entirely. Being able to see and appreciate the perspectives of others is an important scholarly virtue to cultivate. Competition amongst and challenges of competing ideas is what spurs innovation in economic science. So, strongly held positions are to be expected and, in fact, encouraged, but as Garnett persuasively argues, the process of scientific progress is more likely to lead to advancement if the process is Smithian rather than the Mandevillean approach my earlier statement seemed to imply.     

Applying behavioural economics to public policy in Canada

Behavioural economics incorporates ideas from psychology, sociology and neuroscience to better predict how individuals make long‐term decisions. Often the ideas adopted include present or inattention bias, both potentially leading to suboptimal outcomes. But these models also point to opportunities for effective, low‐cost government policies that can have meaningful positive effects on people's long‐term well‐being. The last decade has been marked by a growing interest from governments the world over in using behavioural economics to inform policy decisions. This is true of Canada as well. In this paper we discuss the increasingly important role behavioural economics plays in Canadian public policy. We first contextualize government policies that have incorporated insights from behavioural economics by outlining a collection of models of intertemporal choice. We then present examples of public policy initiatives that are based upon findings in the field, placing particular emphasis on Canadian initiatives. We also document future opportunities, challenges and limitations.     

Introduction to field experiments in economics with applications to the economics of charity

This special issue highlights an empirical approach that has increasingly grown in prominence in the last decade—field experiments. While field experiments can be used quite generally in economics—to test theories’ predictions, to measure key parameters, and to provide insights into the generalizability of empirical results—this special issue focuses on using field experiments to explore questions within the economics of charity. The issue contains six distinct field experimental studies that investigate various aspects associated with the economics of charitable giving. The issue also includes a fitting tribute to one of the earliest experimenters to depart from traditional lab methods, Peter Bohm, who curiously has not received deep credit or broad acclaim. Hopefully this issue will begin to rectify this oversight.      

James Buchanan's public economics: One proposition,two speculations and three queries

The text of this paper is substantially that presented to participants at the Buchanan-at-seventy conference. I have not attempted to recast the discussion along more conventional journal lines, because it has been decided to publish the conference papers in this supplementary volume in their original form. I have, however, made some modifications in the light of the conference discussion.