The Politics of Taxing and Spending
Patrick Fisher | | ISBN: 978-1-58826-644-6
$58.00 |
| ISBN: 978-1-58826-619-4
$22.50 |
| January 2009/200 pages |
DESCRIPTION
How are budget decisions made by the US government? Is it fair to blame skyrocketing deficits on an inability to curtail spending? How—and why—are taxing and spending decidedly separate political processes?
Emphasizing budgetary politics rather than economic theories, Patrick Fisher offers a clear, thorough overview of how money flows through our government coffers. A welcome realism pervades Fisher’s analysis of budget making, and numerous case studies of events in recent budget politics bring his arguments to life. The result is a balanced wealth of material for classroom discussion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patrick Fisher is associate professor of political science at Seton Hall University. His publications include Congressional Budgeting: A Representational Perspective.
CONTENTS
- The Discrepancy Between Taxing and Spending.
- The Politics of Taxing.
- Raising Taxes.
- Cutting Taxes.
- The Politics of Spending.
- The Growth of Government Spending.
- Reducing Spending.
- Deficits and Democracy in the US.
“Fisher packs a treasure trove of material into this accessible explanation of taxing and spending decisions. Armed with this knowledge, readers will be able to critically analyze the claims politicians make and understand the difficult trade-offs involved in addressing public needs.”—William E. Hudson, Providence College
“Offering a big picture of the problems faced by the federal government as it tries to balance taxing and spending policy, Fisher makes complicated material understandable for nonspecialists.”—David B. Robertson, University of Missouri-St. Louis