Objectives/skills:

As part of the course, students are offered and imparted knowledge about basic content and central fields of action in economic policy theory and practice. The main topic areas are social policy and the theory of optimal taxation. The aim is to enable students to make technically sound contributions to current economic policy discussions.

Contents:

The content will be announced by the lecturer at the beginning of the course. Example topics are:

• Social policy (efficiency arguments for redistribution, pension system, labor market policy)

• Taxes (tax principles and tariffs, welfare costs of taxation, optimal taxation, tax incidence)

Economics methods used:

• Models and methods of analysis: Selected analytical models and methods

• Quantitative-empirical methods: descriptive data analysis

Teaching and learning methods:

Seminaristic teaching form

Literatur:

Breyer F. and W. Buchholz (2021), Ökonomie des Sozialstaats, 2. Edition, Springer, Berlin and Heidelberg.

Wellisch, D. (2014). Finanzwissenschaft II: Theorie der Besteuerung. Vahlen, Munich.