Download or read book Public Debt as a Form of Public Finance written by Richard E. Wagner and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-05-30 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economists commit a category mistake when they treat democratic governments as indebted. Monarchs can be indebted, as can individuals. In contrast, democracies can't truly be indebted. They are financial intermediaries that form a bridge between what are often willing borrowers and forced lenders. The language of public debt is an ideological language that promotes politically expressed desires and is not a scientific language that clarifies the practice of public finance. Economists have gone astray by assuming that a government is just another person whose impulses toward prudent action will restrict recourse to public debt and induce rational political action.