F&D Magazine / Macro-fiscal policy

Paolo Mauro: Adding Ethics to Public Finance

PAOLO MAURO

March 1, 2022

Paolo Mauro says a more human approach to public finance will garner more support for fiscal policies.

In This Episode

Should the rich pay more taxes than the poor? Economists and public finance practitioners have traditionally focused on economic efficiency when answering questions like that, steering clear of any moral considerations that could be seen as subjective. But recent work by evolutionary moral psychologists suggests that a more human approach to policy decisions can lead to better policies that muster broader support. Paolo Mauro is Deputy Director in the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department. In this podcast, he says considering people's moral perspectives makes policy choices more politically feasible and sustainable. Transcript

Read the article at IMF.org/fandd

PAOLO MAURO is director of the Economic and Market Research Department at the International Finance Corporation.

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