The first part of this two-volume set contains eight essays on various topics in Public Economics by international leaders in the field. It begins with an historical perspective on the growth of the area as a whole, and subsequent essays focus on the theory and evidence about the impact of taxation on economic behavior. Volume two is a continuation of volume one, with chapters surveying the literature on both the tax and expenditure areas of public economics. The material in both volumes presents an up-to-date survey of the field of public economics by those actually doing work on the frontier of the subject, and is written in a manner that renders it useful to the public finance specialist, whilst remaining understandable for the student and non-specialist.