Principles of Modern Public Finance (Second Edition) - Core Course Series Textbooks

Author: Zhang Zhichao (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-07
Features: Regarding the content arrangement of this book, three points should be further explained:
(1) This book only discusses the basic principles of modern government fiscal activities and does not conduct specialized analysis or research on China's socialist fiscal theory. We believe that these principles also hold universal significance for the fiscal activities and fiscal policy adjustments of the Chinese government, which is transitioning to a market economy system.
(2) In 1997, we published Contemporary Taxation in Western Countries (Shanxi Economic Publishing House), which elaborates in detail on the evolution of national tax systems, (tax reforms that have emerged since the 1980s) worldwide tax system reforms, major tax types commonly used in various countries, and international taxation. In light of this, the discussion of the aforementioned content in this book has been greatly simplified. We recommend that students use Contemporary Taxation in Western Countries as supplementary material for this book and read it alongside it during the learning process to deepen their understanding of certain issues.
(3) As a concise textbook on public finance principles, this book does not systematically discuss topics such as the origins of the state or government, the formation of public finance, the evolution of fiscal thought, or comparative fiscal systems and fiscal regulations. Readers interested in these topics can refer to other books that specifically address them or more detailed textbooks on public finance. The reference bibliography provided in this book includes some important books that discuss such issues.
At the end of 2002, at the request of the publisher, we decided to republish this book in revised form. The revised edition of Principles of Modern Public Finance, based on the original book, underwent significant modifications and adjustments to the teaching content and structural arrangement. These revisions and adjustments mainly include:
(1) Updating most of the statistical data in the original book;
(2) Adding recent research findings of the authors to important chapters;
(3) Including a certain number of exercises in each chapter;
(4) Adding two new chapters on "Public Choice Theory" and "Chinese Fiscal Issues."
After revision, this textbook expanded from the original 12 chapters to 14 chapters, and the word count increased from the original 280,000 to the current 350,000. To support teaching and research in this discipline, especially to meet the needs of readers studying Chinese fiscal issues, we also published the Electronic Edition of Principles of Modern Public Finance. In the Electronic Edition of Principles of Modern Public Finance, we not only deliver the entire content of this textbook in a lecture format but also include a wealth of supplementary reading materials and statistical data related to fiscal issues in developed countries and China.