Public Economics - (Public Finance)

Author: Jiang Hong (Editor-in-Chief) / Zhu Ping (Deputy Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The title of this book, "Public Economics (Public Finance)," may cause some readers to be confused: Is this a textbook on public economics or a textbook on public finance? The title itself aims to provide an answer to this question on the cover of the book: Public economics is public finance, and public finance is public economics—they are essentially the same thing. Originally, the title could have been either "Public Economics" or "Public Finance." Putting the two together and adding a parenthesis seems redundant. The reason we did this is twofold: First, the practice of referring to our discipline as "Public Economics" is becoming increasingly common. Second, there is a prevailing view that treats public economics and public finance as two distinct disciplines or fundamentally different theories, which can easily lead to misunderstandings.
The title of this book, "Public Economics (Public Finance)," may cause some readers to be confused: Is this a textbook on public economics or a textbook on public finance? The title itself aims to provide an answer to this question on the cover of the book: Public economics is public finance, and public finance is public economics—they are essentially the same thing. Originally, the title could have been either "Public Economics" or "Public Finance." Putting the two together and adding a parenthesis seems redundant. The reason we did this is twofold: First, the practice of referring to our discipline as "Public Economics" is becoming increasingly common. Second, there is a prevailing view that treats public economics and public finance as two distinct disciplines or fundamentally different theories, which can easily lead to misunderstandings.
This book, "Public Economics," was revised based on our previously written "Public Finance." It retains the features of the original book, aligns closely with the fundamental theories of international comparable disciplines, and fully incorporates the practice of public economic and fiscal reforms in China. Correspondingly, the chapters in this book are roughly divided into two categories. One category explains the basic theories of public economics and provides the fundamental methods of analysis. These theories and methods are based on modern economics, and their system and content are largely the same as those of international comparable textbooks. Chapters 1 to 8, 13 to 15, and most of Chapters 19, 20, 21, and 22 roughly belong to this category. The remaining chapters primarily discuss the current state of public economics and policy systems in China and apply the basic theories and methods to conduct preliminary analysis and evaluation of China's specific circumstances. This part reflects the characteristics of China's economic and policy environment and differs from foreign textbooks.
The first category of chapters is the focus of teaching, while the second category primarily connects with China's specific circumstances, providing material for the application of the basic theories and methods of public economics.