Was Knut Wicksell a conservative or a radical? A note on an early monograph by Knut Wicksell

B-Tier
Journal: Public Choice
Year: 1998
Volume: 94
Issue: 3
Pages: 355-365

Authors (1)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The article reviews a small monograph by K. Wicksell entitled Our taxes. Who pays them and who should pay them? It sheds some light on why Wicksell, a radical of his time, was so conservative as an economist. This paradox comes because Wicksell, as an economist, is often brought in line with the unanimity principle. Correctly seen, Wicksell pleaded for general franchise and proportional representation under the unanimity constraint. This was a radical proposal in his time because it contributed to shift the burden of taxation from the poor to the rich by implementing the benefit principle. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:kap:pubcho:v:94:y:1998:i:3:p:355-365
Journal Field
Public
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-24