Author Ricardo, with Adam Smith, founded the classical system of political economy, a school of thought that dominated economic policies throughout the 19th century and figured prominently in the theories of John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx.

Public Finance and Public Choice provides a comprehensive analysis of the economics of the public sector, taking a diagrammatic approach to the subject.

This book examines the Nanjing decade of Guomindang rule (1927-1937) and the early post-Mao reform era (1980-1992) of Chinese history that have commonly been viewed as periods of state disintegration or retreat.

Professor Stiglitz builds on the book's classic strengths: an integrated approach to public economics, a readable and inviting style, and careful attention to real-world problems and applications.