Institutional Foundations of Public Finance integrates economic and legal perspectives on taxation and fiscal policy, offering a provocative assessment of the most important issues in public finance today.

Part I, an in-depth look at the tax reform debate, examines the differences between an income and a consumption tax and poses significant questions about the systematic transition from one to the other, as well as about its implementation. Part II takes a focused look at a broad range of fiscal topics, including fiscal federalism, corporate finance, and fiscal language. As a whole, the volume reflects a keen interest in analyzing real-world problems, including fiscal regimes and institutions, that have major policy implications.

Dealing with fiscal language, fiscal federalism, corporate finance, and the choice between income and consumption taxation, this volume is a gem. -- Rosanne Altshuler, Rutgers University
An easily accessible, first-rate introduction to the big issues in tax policy. -- Joseph Bankman, Stanford Law School

Alan J. Auerbach is Director of the Robert D. Burch Center for Tax Policy and Public Finance and Professor of Economics and Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Daniel N. Shaviro is Wayne Perry Professor of Taxation, New York University School of Law.