Background
Niskanen, William Arthur was born on March 13, 1933 in Bend, Oregon, United States. Son of William Arthur and Nina Elizabeth (McCord) Niskanen.
("Reaganomics" was the most ambitious attempt to change th...)
"Reaganomics" was the most ambitious attempt to change the course of American economic policy of any administration since the New Deal. In this lively, well-informed account, William Niskanen describes in fascinating detail the formulaton of the Reagan economic program, the internal debates, the effects of this program on the economy, and the probable future of Reaganomics. A distinguished economist who served on the Council of Economic Advisers from 1981 to 1985, for nine months as acting chairman, Niskanen was at the forefront of the Reagan economic program--as a supporter and internal critic, as a participant in and witness to many of the critical decisions that shaped this program. Niskanen offers a wide-ranging survey that covers every aspect of Reagan's economic program, reflecting both the successes and failures of policies affecting the budget, taxes, regulation, trade, and monetary policy. Never abstract, he grounds each issue in specific events--such as the Administration's response to the PATCO strike, the failure of Continental Illinois, and the debate over the auto and steel import quotas--and he provides vivid portraits of the personalities involved. Although a supporter of Reaganomics, Niskanen does not flinch from condemning the blunders made by the Administration in implementing Reagan's economic agenda. He apportions praise and blame among the prominent people he worked with--sometimes with devastating effect. Not everyone will agree with Niskanen's appraisal, but the first-hand account he provides of the Reagan Administration--the politics and personalities, the victories and defeats--will fascinate anyone interested in politics American-style or in the future of the economy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019505394X/?tag=2022091-20
(Policy Analysis and Public Choice is an important selecti...)
Policy Analysis and Public Choice is an important selection of articles written by William A. Niskanen over the last thirty years. The volume represents two quite different disciplines to which Niskanen has made a major contribution: policy analysis and public choice. It also includes his major essays on proprietary studies as well as many of his professional papers written for an academic audience. Part I details Niskanen's important contribution to policy analysis. The diverse topics discussed include: defence spending and resource allocation, trade policy, crime and drug policy, and welfare and the culture of poverty. Part II is concerned with public choice and political economy, in particular the liberal economic order, bureaucracy, democratic government and progressive taxation. The volume also includes an autobiographical summary focusing on the complementary nature of his work on policy analysis and public choice, and a number of commentaries that reflect Niskanen's unique professional background and perspective. Policy Analysis and Public Choice will be of special interest to those interested in public choice, public policy, political economy and political science.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1845420926/?tag=2022091-20
(This book presents simple models of the major alternative...)
This book presents simple models of the major alternative types of political regimes, estimates of the parameters of these models, and quantitative estimates of the fiscal choices and economic outcomes of these regimes. William Niskanen provides valuable analysis of the effects of the voting rule, the progressivity of the tax structure, and the length of the fiscal horizon in democratic governments and interesting insights of the effects of alternative regimes on policies, such as war and immigration, that affect the number of people subject to the regime. Economists and political scientists who specialize in public finance, public choice, and the comparative analysis of political regimes will find much to engage them in this book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1843764350/?tag=2022091-20
(After Enron first describes the conditions that led to th...)
After Enron first describes the conditions that led to the collapse of Enron and other corporate scandals and the concerns that these developments raised among the public, the press, and political officials. The book then describes and evaluates the initial private and public responses to these developments and concludes that most of these responses were unnecessary, harmful, or inadequate. There are four major lessons learned during the post-Enron scandal era: Don't count too much on financial accounting. Don't count too much on auditing. The tax system is an important part of the problem. The rules of corporate governance do not adequately serve the interests of general shareholders. After Enron addresses the major lessons for public policy affecting accounting, auditing, taxation, and corporate government. It proposes a set of policy changes to address the lessons learned from the Enron scandal. The first major set of proposed changes would delegate the authority to establish and monitor accounting and disclosure standards to each stock exchange. A second major proposal would replace the corporate income tax with a cash flow tax. And a final set of proposed policy changes would replace the rules of corporate governance that are now biased against the interest of the general shareholders. The most distinctive feature of the book is that the major proposed policy changes would address the problems illustrated by the corporate scandals by reducing and focusing the role of government.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0742544346/?tag=2022091-20
(Reflections of a Political Economist collects some of the...)
Reflections of a Political Economist collects some of the most incisive and important policy analysis and public choice articles by William A. Niskanen from the last fifteen years. His interests have ranged widely during this time, covering many different areas of public policy, always with an eye toward rigorous economic thinking, fiscal conservatism, and finding shrewd, practical solutions to important problems. In Part I readers will find a discussion of a wide array of policy topics, including taxation, health and retirement funding, terrorism and military preparedness, and corporate governance. These selections bring to the discussion both hard data and theoretical sophistication, making the case for modest, sensible regulations, limited government, and free enterprise. Niskanen rarely lets easy assumptions go unchallenged; one hallmark of his work is to quantify the costs and benefits of a policy and then compare these to the conventional wisdom, which often turns up lacking. In Part II Niskanen turns to public choice, wherein he discusses economic models of various government types, voting, bureaucracy, and constitutional structure. He also reviews several of his recent research interests, including taxation and spending under autocratic, democratic, and optimal governments; European constitutionalism; and various models of bureaucracy and voting. Readers interested in public choice will find more than just summaries of settled questions, however, as Niskanen also discusses several potential research topics in a field that continues to grow. Part III includes a selection of Niskanen's book reviews, in which he considers the works of other notable economists, including Paul Krugman, Mancur Olson, James M. Buchanan, and Alan Greenspan. Part IV offers three more personal reflections, each to some degree removed from economics, but all reflecting Niskanen's thoughtful, understated approach to important issues, wherever he finds them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933995203/?tag=2022091-20
(Softcover magazine with a variety of articles and reports...)
Softcover magazine with a variety of articles and reports concerning duck and waterfowl conservation efforts, hunting regulations, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TKVA3UW/?tag=2022091-20
( The information age technology revolution promises enor...)
The information age technology revolution promises enormous benefits to the U.S. and global economies. Yet if those benefits are to be fully realized, policymakers in the U.S. and abroad must rethink some fundamental premises about how economic activity has traditionally been governed. Should we continue to regulate industries the way we have in the past? Does the digital age require a new approach to antitrust enforcement? To best facilitate global electronic commerce, what changes are needed in intellectual property law, professional licensing requirements, laws governing privacy and content, and policies relating to standards? And what steps, if any, are required to best ensure that all citizens have access to the new technologies? This book examines these and other policy issues. It draws on a spring 1997 conference sponsored by the Brookings Institution and the Cato Institute where leading experts in various fields related to information technology presented their views. Copublished with the Cato Institute
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815752857/?tag=2022091-20
(New Roads to Wealth Through a New But Proven Diversificat...)
New Roads to Wealth Through a New But Proven Diversification Strategy, 1986, Reaganomics (/reɪɡəˈnɒmɪks/; a portmanteau of Reagan and economics attributed to Paul Harvey)[1] refers to the economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s. These policies are commonly associated with supply-side economics, referred to as trickle-down economics by political opponents and free market economics by political advocates. The four pillars of Reagan's economic policy were to reduce the growth of government spending, reduce the federal income tax and capital gains tax, reduce government regulation, and tighten the money supply in order to reduce inflation.[2] 2 Niskanen, William A. (1992). "Reaganomics". In David R. Henderson (ed.). Concise Encyclopedia of Economics (1st ed.). Library of Economics and Liberty. OCLC 317650570, 50016270 and 163149563
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ODYOK0/?tag=2022091-20
Niskanen, William Arthur was born on March 13, 1933 in Bend, Oregon, United States. Son of William Arthur and Nina Elizabeth (McCord) Niskanen.
Bachelor, Harvard University, 1954. Master of Arts, University Chicago, 1955. Doctor of Philosophy, University Chicago, 1962.
Staff economist Research and Development Corporation, Santa Monica, California, 1957—1962. Staff director United States Department Defense, Washington, 1962—1964. Division director Institute Defense Analyses, 1964—1970.
Assistant director Office Management & Budget, Executive Office of the President, 1970—1972. Professor University California, Berkeley, 1972—1975. Chief economist Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan, 1975—1980.
Professor University of California at Los Angeles, 1980—1981. Member Council Economic Advisers, Executive Office of the President, Washington, 1981—1985. Chairman Cato Institute, 1985—2008, senior economist, since 2008.
(New Roads to Wealth Through a New But Proven Diversificat...)
(This book presents simple models of the major alternative...)
(After Enron first describes the conditions that led to th...)
(Public decisions on environmental risk have traditionally...)
(Reflections of a Political Economist collects some of the...)
("Reaganomics" was the most ambitious attempt to change th...)
(Softcover magazine with a variety of articles and reports...)
(Policy Analysis and Public Choice is an important selecti...)
( The information age technology revolution promises enor...)
(Reaganomics; A Midterm Report)
Author: Bureaucracy and Representative Goverment, 1971, Reaganomics, 1988, Policy Analysis and Public Choice, 1998, Going Digital, 1998, Autocratic, Democratic and Optimal Government, 2004, After Enron: Lessons for Public Policy, 2005, Reflections of a Political Economist, 2008. Editor: Regulation magazine, 1990-1996.
The economics of bureaucracy. Early contributions to demand for alcoholic beverages, defence analysis, and government management. Recent contributions to structure of local government, economics of car industry, and selected topics in public choice.
Founder National Tax Limitation Committee. Member of Atlantic Economic Association (past president), Public Choice Society, American Economic Association.
Married Kathyrn Washburn. Children: Lia, Pamela, Jaime.