The Foundations of Public Finance presents the most important articles and papers tracing the development of public finance from the earliest tolls and customs duties levied on goods and land to more complex tax systems up to 1950.A signal contribution of this collection is that it allows the founding fathers to describe the development of different schools or doctrines in their own words. It is a fascinating story showing how economic analysis develops partly as a response to the need to gain a deeper insight into practical questions such as 'how progressive should a tax systems be?'.

The volume is a companion to and complements Modern Public Finance edited by A.B. Atkinson (also in The International Library of Critical Writings in Economics series) which covers the recent developments in public finance from 1950.