pUBLIC FINANCE iS treated in the new International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (IESS) in 14 articles totaling some 74,000 words, exclusive of bibliographies (see the accompanying tabulation). In addition, several biographical articles deal with contributions to public finance made by their subjects. The authors are all scholars of standing, and readers can be confident that the treatment meets accepted standards of professional competence. Rather than commenting systematically on the individual articles, I propose to try to characterize the scope and nature of the coverage of the field, illustrating points by reference to particular articles, and to compare the treatment of public finance in the new encyclopedia (IESS) with that in the Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences (ESS) which was published in 1930-35. The biographical articles are mentioned but not examined. Finally, I shall venture some remarks on the editorial emphasis of the IESS and the state of the discipline of public finance.

I. General discussion, normal and accelerated depreciation allowances, 192; influence on investment, 194; factors affecting influence of accelerated depreciation, 201; revenue effects, 203; comparison with reduction of tax rates, 204; accelerated depreciation as an alternative to other tax concessions in under-developed countries, 207; comparison with reduction of interest rates, 209. — II. Comparison of accelerated-depreciation methods, 211; use of the methods, 212; annual charges and their present value, 213; appraisal, 218. — III. Conclusion, 219.