Public Finance
Ronald Burgess (1923–2002) studied and taught economics for more than fifty years. Following in the footsteps of Alfred Marshall, John Maynard Keynes, Colin Clark, and many others, he brought together different aspects of his subject with clarity and insight.
Five volumes of his work are now available under the general title of Public Finance. They provide an introduction for the ordinary reader to his fresh and original approach to economics and the possibility of civilisation.
VOLUME 1: Economics Now 1979-1980. Ten seminars setting out an approach to macroeconomics with particular reference to government policy.
VOLUME 2: Ten Public Talks 1980-1983. A series of public lectures on topical issues such as monetarism, inflation, unemployment and taxation.
VOLUME 3: Spatial Economics (ten lectures) and Normative Economics (six lectures) 1983-1984. Original work on the relationship between the spatial aspects of macroeconomics and the role of the polity.
VOLUME 4: Further Work 1971-1994. A collection of essays and public talks on such topics as the relationship between employment and public spending in a period of rising inflation and recession, privatisation, local government finance, and the economic position of Greece within the European Union.
VOLUME 5: The Difficulties of the Railways. A report issued with the aim of influencing the Transport Act 1962, which set in motion the formation of the Brititish Railways Board. The Act of 1962 was followed by the ‘Beeching axe’, which reduced the size of the railway network. This report is the earliest example of work by Ronald Burgess.
Public Revenue Without Taxation
In 1993, with the support of the Economic Study Association, Ronald Burgess completed and published his book Public Revenue Without Taxation, which is available here: