Partnering with economic and fiscal policy think-tanks in producing research to inform tobacco taxation policies

Economic aspects of tobacco use and taxation policy.

Tax levels have important effects on cigarette prices and tax revenues. Over 70p of every pound spent on tobacco goes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, yielding over 5 billion pounds. But the value of tobacco tax revenues have generally fallen--by 1986 they were 10% lower than at their peak in 1965, and tobacco revenue is becoming a smaller proportion of total tax receipts. The impact of a co...

Activist Fiscal Policy to Stabilize Economic Activity

We review the evidence on the practice and effects of discretionary fiscal policy, particularly in the context of recent efforts to stimulate the economy, reaching two main conclusions. First, policy interventions have increased in this decade, pre-dating the 2009 stimulus. Second, despite a large economic literature on the topic, the state of theory and evidence is not as "shovel ready" as one...

Interest Groups, Think Tanks, and Health Care Policy (1960s-Present)

Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth in Kenya

The question of whether or not fiscal policy stimulates growth has dominated theoretical and empirical debate for a long time. One viewpoint believes that government involvement in economic activity is vital for growth, but an opposing view holds that government operations are inherently bureaucratic and inefficient and therefore stifles rather than promotes growth. In the empirical literature,...

Minnesota's investment in tobacco control: research findings to inform practice and policy.

q p Minnesota has a long history of leadership in tobacco control, dating back to a 1975 Clean Indoor Air law limiting smoking indoors. In 1998, a settlement was reached to a lawsuit the state and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota had brought against cigarette manufacturers and related trade associations accusing them of failing to disclose information about the dangers and addictive qual...