An Italian Foundation for New Fiscal Sociology: A Reflection on the Pareto-Griziotti and Pareto-Sensini Letters on Ricardian Equivalence and Fiscal Theory
This paper reflects on the influence of Vilfredo Pareto’s letters to two of his ex-students, Benvenuto Griziotti and Guido Sensini, on Ricardian equivalence and fiscal theory. The letters are of historical interest because of their emphasis on the need for fiscal studies to consider “social equilibrium” and because they were written when Italian fiscal sociology was in its formative stages. It is suggested that the two sets of letters had quite different consequences; with Griziotti rejecting Pareto’s contention that social equilibrium should play a central role in fiscal studies and Sensini attempting to develop an approach to public finance where the relationship between fiscal phenomena and social equilibrium is presented as the central issue in the theory of public finance. Griziotti’s approach, which accommodates a fiscal sociology that focuses on specific political and legislation issues rather that general social equilibrium, proved more influential than Sensini’s approach, but the Pareto-Sensini line of investigation is of greater current relevance.
Notice of RetractionThe meaning of fiscal deficit based on fiscal sociology
This article introduces fiscal sociology which emphasizes the whole society is a organic society, and public finance is just part of it; and further treats the views of fiscal sociology to fiscal deficit. From this investigation, we can understand why fiscal deficit can't be well controlled and keeps expanding; in the other way it can be the theory base for government's strategy to face the fiscal deficit.
The New Democratic Federalism for Europe: Functional, Overlapping, and Competing Jurisdictions
This innovative book proposes a new institutional arrangement for government to fulfil the needs of its citizens as well as possible. Existing aspects of federalism and direct democracy in Europe are strengthened, and as a result future developments arising in the region are coped with better. In this book Bruno Frey and Reiner Eichenberger propose a new model of federalism which includes new types of governmental units established by citizens from below. These units are called functional, overlapping and competing jurisdictions as they extend over task-specific areas and therefore overlap. They also provide competitive governance via direct and representative democratic institutions, and as jurisdictions they have independent power over taxation policy. This new model is more responsive to citizens' preferences and adjusts more dynamically to provide public services efficiently. The authors suggest that this new system should be allowed to develop in Europe to safeguard diversity and ensure that decentralization emerges effectively. It would also allow for the flexible integration of East European transition economies into the European Union and may also combine with traditional m