Inaug.-Diss.--Basel. / "Diese Arbeit erscheint unter dem Titel 'Schweizerische Steuerpolitik im Dienste der Vollbeschäftigung' im Cosmos-Verlag in Bern." Vita. Bibliography: p. 127-128.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2008. / Principal faculty advisor: Joel Best, Dept. of Sociology & Criminal Justice. Includes bibliographical references.

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In the aftermath of the 2008 economic recession, governments across the globe were forced to confront a difficult reality: growth and spending would need to be revised dramatically downward while central government systems would have to be made more efficient. In the United Kingdom specifically, the 2010 general election became a referendum on how quickly and severely to implement austerity policies the likes of which had not been seen for generations. Why did the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition choose austerity when other alternatives, such as a public sector stimulus package, were also available? To answer this question this research seeks to understand how and why political actors in the United Kingdom respond to economic and political crises through the implementation of specific efficiency reforms. This is accomplished through two specific steps: the establishment of an analytical framework to better understand the dynamics of efficiency reforms and an in-depth study of the historical development of efficiency reforms from the early twentieth century through the present. A historical institutionalist theoretical foundation is employed in order to understand the evolution of ideas throughout this time span. A thorough understanding of institutional effects, including aspects of lock-in effects and process tracing, are essential components of understanding why powerful political actors choose certain efficiency reforms over others. Ultimately, this research is meant as a first step towards a greater understanding of efficiency in government. Previous research has examined specific reforms in relative isolation without the benefit of historical context. By systematically tracing the evolution of efficiency reforms across different eras a more complete understanding of policies and political actors is established. Further research, including comparative studies across political systems and the incorporation of quantitative date, is discussed in the conclusion.

The debate over the role and the size of state activity in public economics remains controversial despite more than a century of active research. As a result, several explanations have been suggested to explain the expansion of the size of the public economy and a large amount of literature has been produced. In the late 19th century, the German economist Adolph Wagner predicted that economic development would be accompanied by a relative growth in the public sector. This thesis argues that the way the Wagner Hypothesis has been interpreted in the existing literature has been incomplete both on theoretical and empirical grounds. Data shows that the independent variable is an important determinant of the growth of government share in income. This result is generally consistent with the WH and lends support to the logistic and the Gompertz processes of government growth. Following discussion, the principal conclusion is that the rise of the share of government expenditure in income in the cross section sample of 88 countries can be partly explained by the changes in the levels of real GDP per capita for those countries. The thesis concludes with a discussion of some of the implications of these results and suggestions for further research. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (M.A.) in Economics--University of Maine, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-70).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 125-136).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Title from title screen. Jorge L. Martinez-Vazquez, committee chair; James R. Alm, Roy W. Bahl, Mary Beth Walker, Neven T. Valev, Martin F. Grace, committee members. Electronic text (150 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewedAug. 17, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-148).

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