Poterba, James M.
Description:
Theory and evidence on government taxation policy. Topics include tax incidence; optimal tax theory; the effect of taxation on labor supply and savings; corrective taxes for externalities; taxation and corporate behavior; and tax expenditure policy. From the course home page: Course Description This course is a one-semester introduction to the economic analysis of taxation. It covers both theoretical contributions, such as the theory of optimal income and commodity taxation, as well as empirical work, such as the study of how taxes affect labor supply. The course is designed to acquaint students with key questions in the economics of taxation, and to equip them to carry out their own research in this field.