Course detail

Municipal Finances

FP-VFAcad. year: 2013/2014

The course focuses on the following topics: Public choice as a starting point of understanding of public finance, basic categories of public finance, public revenues and public expenditures, fundamentals of taxation theory including excessive tax burden, fiscal federalism, fiscal and budgetary policy of government, budgetary system in the Czech Republic, budgetary deficit and public debt. Fundamentals of financing in selected areas within the public sector. Ethics of public finance.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

3

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Students will acquire basic knowledge of macroeconomic financial flows in a mixed economy, and will be familiar with the principles of state economic policy as well as principles of modern taxation systems. The starting point of the course is the understanding of the public choice as a decision-making mechanism in the public sector. Students will have a clear idea of how to apply the acquired knowledge in practice.

Prerequisites

Secondary school knowledge of political and voting system in the Czech republic. Basic macroagregates and relations. State economic policy. System of public budgets.

Co-requisites

Not applied.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Lectures consist of an explanation of basic principles, methodology of the discipline, problems and their solutions.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Conditions for awarding the course-unit credit:
1.Active participation in seminars (one absence during the semester is tolerated). 2.Successful completion of a credit test with more than 60% correct answers (max. 20 points).
Form of examination:
Written only. The exam is a test (questions with four possible answers - just one is correct, open questions, yes/no questions, brief explanation of the basic terms). Time for elaboration: 40 minutes. Max. possible points of exam - 80. Grading rules – see the BUT Rules for Studies and Examinations. The classification also includes the result of credit test (max. points total is 100 on both tests: 20 + 80).

Course curriculum

Not applicable.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The main objective of the course is to create a link between the public finance theory and, in a broad sense, the public economy theory on one hand, and modern application of these theories in the sphere of public finance on the other hand. Students will have a clear idea of basic categories of the theory of public finance and will be provided with tools necessary for understanding of current political and economic situation.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Attendance at lectures is recommended, attendance at seminars is controlled. The way of substituting of missed lectures and seminars is fully in the teachers’ competence.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

LAJTKEPOVÁ, E. - ŽIŽLAVSKÝ, O. (2011): Veřejné finance. Pracovní listy. 2. vyd. Brno: Akademické nakladatelství CERM. (CS)
LAJTKEPOVÁ, E. (2009): Veřejné finance. 2. vyd. Brno: Akademické nakladatelství CERM. (CS)

Recommended reading

HAMERNÍKOVÁ, B. - MAAYTOVÁ, A. (2010): Veřejné finance. 2. vyd. Praha: Wolters Kluwer. (CS)
PEKOVÁ, J. (2011): Finance územní samosprávy: teorie a praxe. 1. vyd. Praha: Wolters Kluwer. (CS)
PERNICA, M. (2014): Proposal of Legislative Changes Leading to Improving Financial Management of Municipalities in the Czech Republic. In" Crafting Global Competitive Economies: 2020 Vision Strategic Planning and Sart Implementation. Milano: IBIMA, 2014, pp. 1266 - 1275. (EN)
PROVAZNÍKOVÁ, R. (2009): Financování měst, obcí a regionů: teorie a praxe. 2. vyd. Praha: Grada Publishing. (CS)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BAK Bachelor's

    branch BAK-DP , 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Syllabus

Lectures (basic thems):
•Introduction (basic term : public goods, public sector, public finance, public budget)
•Theory of public choice
•History of the theory of public finance
•Public revenues
•Public expenditures
•Theory of taxes
•Fiscal federalism
•System of public finance in the Czech Republic
•State budget
•Fiscal and budgetary policy
•Budgetary deficit
•Public debt
•Social security
•Ethics of public finance

Exercise

13 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Syllabus

Seminars:
•Introduction, political and voting system.
•Financing of political parties. The ethics of relations between municipal finances and political parties.
•Financing of education activities.
•Financing of health care.
•Local public finance, local budgets.
•Social insurance.
•Credit test.