This course uses economic tools to understand the role and possible effects of government policy in a market economy. The goal is to provide an understanding of the reasons for government intervention in the economy, as well as the challenges in implementing and evaluating those interventions. The course makes use of economic tools and empirical analyses to investigate specific U.S. expenditure and tax policies such as income transfer programs (e.g., TANF, SNAP), social insurance programs (e.g., Social Security and Medicare), personal income taxes and wealth taxes. Additional topics include the effects of deficit finance and government debt, the interaction between different levels (local vs federal) government and problems in collective decisionmaking (voting models and public choice).