Suggested preparation: Introductory microeconomics and basic calculus.
About this course
Study the economic reasoning behind public spending and taxation. MIT lectures examine public goods, education, health care, redistribution and the trade-offs involved in financing government activity.
Topics and lesson examples
- Lecture 01: Why Study Public Finance?
- Lecture 03: Externalities in Theory & Practice
- Lecture 06: Cost/Benefit Analysis
- Lecture 15: Health Care III, Redistribution
- Lecture 18: Overview of Taxation and Tax Base, Tax Incidence
Course at a glance
| Provider | MIT |
|---|---|
| Platform | YouTube · MIT OpenCourseWare |
| Access | Free Video |
| Level | Intermediate — WikiFree study-level assessment |
| Language | English |
| Available lessons | 24 |
| Video duration | 29h 59m · self-paced |
| Details checked | 10 October 2026 |
Preparation and study approach
Suggested preparation: Introductory microeconomics and basic calculus.
Follow the available videos in sequence, pausing to summarize the main argument or reconstruct a worked example. Keep a short list of assumptions, unfamiliar terms and questions to revisit. Additional reading, problem solving and practice will take time beyond the listed video duration.
Using this video classroom
Select a lesson from the list, or search for a topic. Previous and Next move through the sequence. You can mark lessons complete; progress is stored in this browser without a WikiFree account.
Free access and course scope
The public MIT OpenCourseWare videos in this classroom are free to watch. This listing provides the available playlist recordings, which may include selected lectures, recitations, demonstrations or supporting discussions rather than every component of the original campus course. Textbooks, equipment, software licenses, supervised labs, graded assignments and instructor feedback are not supplied by WikiFree. No purchase is required to watch the videos or use the note-based study approach above.
WikiFree independently organizes these resources for self-paced study. Watching does not award an MIT certificate, academic credit or admission to MIT.
Video provider and credit: MIT OpenCourseWare on YouTube. WikiFree titles, descriptions and cover artwork are independently prepared.
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Intermediate
Compare course focus, level and study time
| Course | Level | Focus | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| This course — Free MIT Course: Public Finance and Tax Policy | Intermediate | Lecture 01: Why Study Public Finance? · Lecture 03: Externalities in Theory & Practice · Lecture 06: Cost/Benefit Analysis | 29h 59m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: Nuclear Energy and Public Policy | Intermediate | Lecture 3: How Should We Join Climate Change to Energy Policy? · Lecture 5: Can Nuclear Compete Given Decarbonization? · Lecture 14: Is Nuclear Power Safe? Calculating the Number of Deaths Caused by Nuclear Accidents... | 23h 26m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: Energy Markets, Decisions and Public Policy | Intermediate | 1. This Course and The U.S. Energy System · 6. Climate Science and Policy · 12. Organizational Decision-Making: Biodiesel at MIT | 25h 11m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: Innovation Systems and Technology Policy | Intermediate | Class 1, Part 1: Economic Growth Theory and the Direct Elements in Innovation · Class 3, Part 2: The Competitive Challenge to U.S. Manufacturing · Class 6, Part 2: Public-Private Partnership & "The Valley of Death" Between Research and Devel... | 30h 58m of video; practice time is additional |
Provider: MIT. Videos play from the MIT OpenCourseWare channel on YouTube.
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