Public Finance

Code:

2FI16

Acronym:

PF

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Management Studies

Instance: 2012/2013 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Management
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Finance

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
ME	0	Bologna Syllabus	1	-	4	28	108
MIF	0	Bologna Official Syllabus	1	-	4	28	108

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

To provide students with advanced and up to date knowledge in public finance.

Learning outcomes and competences

To grasp the economic relationships associated with public finance, expected outcomes from public finance measures, and ability to interprete and evaluate the contents of the budget law.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Microeconomics

Program

I. Introduction 1. The traditional economic functions of the State II. A brief overview of the main theories explaining the growth of the state. III. The foundations for public intervention and reference to alternative economic tools 1. In the optimal allocation of resources i. the case of public goods ii. the case of externalities iii. the case of natural monopolies iv. the case of asymetric informationl 2. In income redistribution i. theoretical foundations for income redistribution ii. tipologia dos mecanismos de redistribuição do rendimento IV. The public sector V. Financing the public sector 1. The economic classification of public revenues and types of taxes 2.  The characteristics of a good tax system 2. Models of tax administration systems 3. Taxing systems  4. The concept of income for fiscal purposes 5. The tax unit 6. Economic effects from taxation 8. Taxation and individual optimization processes VI. Taxation, evasion and fraud VI. Public expenditures i. economic, functional and organic classification of expenditures ii. economic effects of some public expenditure programmes VII. The State budget: concept and methods to determine its balance.

Mandatory literature

Fernandes, Abel L. Costa; A Economia das Finanças Públicas, Almedina, 2010
Fernandes, Abel L. Costa; Economia Pública - Eficiência Económica e Teoria das Escolhas Colectivas, 2ª edição, Sílabo, 2011

Teaching methods and learning activities

Formal theoretical approach and case study of Portugal.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
	Trabalho escrito		35,00
Exam	Defesa pública de dissertação, de relatório de projeto ou estágio, ou de tese		65,00
	Total:	-	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Final exam covering the whole programme and a written paper on a related subject.

The required paper can be the written by 4 students, at the most.

Calculation formula of final grade

In the final grade the exam accounts for 65% whereas the written paper accounts for the remaining 35%.