Book excerpt: "Tax systems have changed considerably in the past three decades. These fundamental changes have been the result of economic globalization, new political stances, and also of developments in public finance thought. The chapters in this volume offer a critical review of those changes from the perspectives of tax theory, policy and tax administration practice, and the political economy of taxation. The authors also consider what sort of reforms are worth undertaking in tax policy design, tax administration and enforcement, and the assignment of sub-national taxes. The authors in this volume are among the top scholars in the study of public finance. The development of tax systems in OECD countries is examined, as are various methods of taxation (direct versus indirect, corporate income tax, value added tax and others) employed throughout the world. The politics of public finance and the institutions used to administer it are also analyzed.Reflecting on the influence of the research itself, Richard Bird closes the book with a chapter exploring whether or not economic literature has focused on the issues and problems that really matter to policymakers and whether it has influenced the development of tax systems."--Publisher's website.