Public Finance And National Accounts In The European Context

This book offers an essential guide to Public Finance and National Accounts in the context of the European Union. Since the creation of the Eurozone, fiscal policy has been at the heart of economic (but also political/media) discussions in the EU. From the Stability and Growth Pact (1997) to the more recent Fiscal Treaty, EU and Eurozone, countries have been subject to various fiscal rules. The importance of these rules, and of the subsequent procedures that every Eurozone country has to adhere to, is unquestionable. The book provides the reader with an in-depth understanding of the complex EU rules concerning fiscal policy, breaking down the corresponding legal texts into simple and accessible language. It has a broad interdisciplinary appeal, and scholars and practitioners whose work involves these areas will find it of particular interest.

This book reveals how to create efficient institutions and coordinate policy on a transnational scale to ensure that European Union integration can best meet social needs. It offers a combined technocratic and humanist perspective on the discussion of public financial management. The state, as part of its public policy, should seek to preserve our social and environmental values, yet there are mounting imbalances in society which point to the growing role of the state in minimising them. Under such circumstances, it is worth reflecting on how new challenges could require updated, more complex formulas, to deal with crises in current times and for social and economic policy making by states and the European Union generally, which would ensure their compatibility with the world financial markets. The work offers an in-depth and unique performance analysis of European Union institutions compared to the national entities of EU Member States. It contributes to the ongoing debate on global public goods and the processes involved in managing their provision. Further, it discusses public finance management instruments, indicating their historical evolution in practice and their effectiveness measured with the Human Development Index. The author presents a proposal of how to manage global, European and national public goods across three areas: environmental protection, transnational infrastructure projects and social policy. The book analyses public financial management instruments used during the recent pandemic, making a distinction between regular and emergency instruments and assessing their effectiveness in specific economic situations. This will be of interest to researchers and students of economics and finance, as well as decision makers and practitioners from governments, international organisations and specific non-governmental organisations concerned with issues of public finance management.

This Handbook aims to provide practical guidance on the calculation and allocation of the production of various types of financial services and issues related to the compilation of the financial account and balance sheets by institutional sector in the context of from-whom-to-whom relationships. The Handbook complements the 2008 SNA and related manuals, handbooks and guides. The concepts are described and defined in line with the 2008 SNA. Where appropriate, illustrative worked examples with step-by-step guidance are provided in the Handbook to give compilers and users a better picture of how to apply and interpret the various concepts. The Handbook is useful for staff working in national statistical offices, national central banks, international organizations and other institutions engaged in collecting, compiling and disseminating national accounts data, specifically on the financial corporations sector and financial account, and for users requiring a better understanding of such data.

This Manual deals with concepts, definitions, and procedures for the compilation of statistics on government finance. It is intended as a reference tool for those who are called upon to prepare or evaluate such statistics. Focusing on financial transactions such as taxing, borrowing, spending, and lending, the Manual emphasizes the summarization and organization of statistics appropriate for analysis, planning, and policy determination.

Taxation is becoming more and more relevant for firms and managers decisions, mainly due to the impacts of taxation on firms and projects performance, profitability and value. This book provides an introductory overview of taxation in the fields of finance and accounting. It covers several fundamental topics of taxation, such as income, corporate and value add tax, and tax planning and management, international taxation, EU tax harmonization and transfer prices. This book intends to provide the readers with an understanding of the main concepts and principles of these topics, regardless of specific country contexts in law. With this book, readers will be able to understand the fundamentals of taxation at a conceptual and practical level. By using theory and practical examples, readers will understand taxation at a broader level, without being concerned about country-specific issues.

There is a growing interest in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), particularly in infrastructure and public services. Under the scope of PPPs, renegotiations are becoming more relevant, as empirical evidence suggests that most PPP projects are inevitably renegotiated, i.e., the original contract needs to be adapted to new and unforeseen circumstances. Renegotiations have a substantial impact on the contract and performance of a PPP and usually represent significant costs for users and taxpayers. However, very little is known about the management and, mainly, the process of renegotiating that will, very likely, occur. This book provides a set of case-studies of PPP renegotiations in the transport sector. The authors illustrate the Portuguese experience, a country that has been using PPP extensively, particularly in transport. The case studies provide an extensive and detailed analysis on each aspect of the project and the renegotiation. What drives renegotiations? Why are some projects more renegotiated than others? What are the results? How can the performance of renegotiation processes be improved? These and other questions provide the basis for the discussions in this book. The novelty and value of the book come mainly from the extent of information available. Each case-study deals with these questions in much more detail than what is common in the case-studies approach.

This book provides a theoretical basis for understanding the phenomenon of renegotiations in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). It analyzes the case of transport projects, and provides empirical evidence from a variety of real-world projects. What drives renegotiations? Why are some projects more likely to be renegotiated than others? What are the outcomes? How can we improve the performance of renegotiation processes? These questions form the core of discussion in this book. PPPs are a procurement model for the delivery of infrastructure and public services that have experienced significant growth over the last three decades, particularly in terms of the development of transportation projects. The empirical evidence suggests that most PPP projects are inevitably renegotiated, i.e., the original contract needs to be adapted to new and unforeseen circumstances. The impacts of these changes on the welfare of the respective stakeholders are frequently asymmetric. Most academic research and professional guidelines are focused on PPP contract design and preparation of the procurement process, and very little has been published on the management and, mainly, the process of renegotiating that will – in all likelihood – occur. This book fills this gap in the academic discussion. Several country-based analyses and case studies from Europe and the Americas provide the reader with practical applications of the theory.

ESA 95 is the conceptual reference framework, which is legally binding the EU. The aim of the manual is to aid its application for calculation the government deficit and debt. It provides the appropriate answers to most of the statistical and accounting problems posed in the EU in the last years. Result of a collective work of reflection, conceptual and textual elaboration made by a group of experts, coordinated by Eurostat, representing EU Member States, the Commission and the European Central Bank. It was discussed and improved by the working parties on national and financial accounts.