Public Expenditure Discussion Paper: The Composition of Spending, Income Equality and Economic Growth
The two initial discussion papers - An Initial Discussion on Public Expenditure: Rationales and Constraints, and Public Expenditure: The Composition of Spending, Income Equality and Economic Growth – were co-authored by TASC policy analyst and economist Tom McDonnell and research assistant Daragh McCarthy, and are intended as short overviews of the area.
The Composition of Spending, Income Equality and Economic Growth should be seen as an accompanying document to the online tool and examines the breakdown of public spending in Ireland. The paper also takes an initial look at the associations between public spending, economic growth and income inequality.
Launching the project, TASC Director Paula Clancy said:
“The current crisis engulfing Ireland has generated an unprecedented level of interest in the budgetary process and on how we choose to tax and spend. In advance of the budget and as a response to this increasing interest in public expenditure, TASC will be generating an ongoing series of resources to ‘explain’ public spending in Ireland.
“Economic decisions are a function of choices – and information is vital if we are to make informed choices. Government spending is too important to be kept under wraps, which is why TASC has embarked on this project”, Ms. Clancy said.