PUBLIC ECONOMICS

The course is among those characterizing the Degree programme in Economics. The main aim of the course is to provide an overview of the issues concerning the State's intervention in the economy. Emphasis will be placed on the theoretical foundations of the economic analysis of government intervention and taxation. The course also provides tools for the economic analysis of the main Italian taxes.

1. Knowledge and comprehension skills:
1.1. understanding the motivations of public intervention in the economy and how the collectivity can take into account objectives of equity and efficiency to make public choices and supply goods and services;
1.2. understanding how public goods and externalities influence the choices of economic agents and tools used by the State to bring the economy back to efficiency;
1.3. understanding the economic effects of taxes;
1.4. understanding the characteristics and the functioning of the main Italian taxes.

2. Applied knowledge and comprehension skills:
2.1. using social choice models to determine the efficiency and equity of public interventions;
2.3. knowing how to identify the degree of progressivity and redistribution of different taxes;
2.4. knowing how to apply and critically evaluate income and consumption taxes.

3. Use of independent judgment:
3.1. to interpret the motivations of public intervention;
3.2. to understand the effects of taxes on agents' economic choices;
3.3. to consider economic issues through analytical methods.

Pre-required mandatory exams: Economia Politica. See https://www.unive.it/pag/fileadmin/user_upload/cdl/et4/documenti/propedeuticitaET4.pdf

1. The public sector in Italy
2. Motivations for public intervention
2.1 Welfare Economics and social choice
2.2 Market failures
2.3 Public goods
2.4 Externalities
3. Public sector revenues
3.1 Taxation theory: general aspects and basic concepts
3.2 Taxation: distributive principles
3.3 Issues in the design of personal income taxation
3.4 Distortionary effects of taxation
3.5 Tax incidence in partial equilibrium analysis
4. The Italian tax system
4.1 National taxes
4.2 PIT

- H.S. Rosen - T. Gayer, Scienza delle finanze, McGraw-Hill CREATE CUSTOM PUBLISHING, last edition (EDIZIONE RIDOTTA PER CA' FOSCARI).
The program might be supplemented with handouts during the course available on Moodle.

Suggested readings:
- P. Bosi - M. C. Guerra, I tributi nell'economia italiana, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2025 (or previous editions).

The exam is written and involves theoretical questions, graphical analyses, multiple choice or true/false questions, and numerical exercises.
The written test held in the presence (lasting about 1 hour) consists of several questions aimed at verifying the learning of concepts and the ability to apply them to concrete cases.
There is no oral exam.

written

Evaluation Grid:
28-30L: Excellent command of the topics covered in class and in the reference texts; very good analytical skills and ability to apply formulas and quantitative tools; appropriate use of technical terminology.
26-27: Good knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the reference texts; good analytical skills and ability to apply formulas and quantitative tools; fair use of technical terminology.
24-25: Knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the reference texts is not always in-depth; decent analytical skills and application of formulas, but with occasional incorrect use of technical terminology.
22-23: Often superficial knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the reference texts; unclear exposition with deficiencies in technical terminology.
18-21: Occasionally incomplete knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the reference texts; barely sufficient analytical skills and application of formulas and quantitative tools; limited use of technical terminology.

The course is organized in:
a) lectures,
b) classroom exercises,
c) individual study.
Students are encouraged to attend classes in an active way, reading the chapters of the book before coming to class and doing the exercises (available on the Moodle platform).

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion
Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments

Ca' Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development