What is Fiscal Policy?

About the lecture

In this module, we explore what we mean by Fiscal Policy. In particular, we will focus on: (i) how we define fiscal policy, including a discussion of government spending and taxation; (ii) the reasons why governments intervene in market economies, including a discussion of the allocative, redistributive and stabilisation functions of government; (iii) how governments responded during the COVID-19 Pandemic with fiscal stimulus packages; and (iv) the micro and macro effects of fiscal stimulus packages.

About the lecturer

Silvia Dal Bianco is a lecturer in Economics at University College London. Her specialist areas include applied and international economics as well as macroeconomics. She has published widely on these topics, including 'Closing Technological Gaps to Alleviate Poverty: Evidence from 17 Sub-Saharan African Countries' (Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2020) and Central Bank Digital Currencies: aims, mechanisms and macroeconomic impact in The Economics of Cryptocurrencies (2020).