Wiktionary
n. a field of economics concerned with paying for collective or governmental activities, and with the administration and design of those activities
Wikipedia
Public finance is the study of the role of the government in the economy. It is the branch of economics which assesses the government revenue and government expenditure of the public authorities and the adjustment of one or the other to achieve desirable effects and avoid undesirable ones.
The purview of public finance is considered to be threefold: governmental effects on (1) efficient allocation of resources, (2) distribution of income, and (3) macroeconomic stabilization.
Public Finance comprises a monthly magazine, a UK news website (publicfinance.co.uk) and an international news website (publicfinanceinternational.org) covering public policy and public sector finance.
It is published by Redactive Media Group on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy, the only professional accountancy body in both the UK and globally to specialise in public services. Public Finance magazine has a current circulation of 16,127 according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation.
Usage examples of "public finance".
Today the prospects for further restrictions on private campaign financing, full disclosure of the personal finances of the candidates, and public finance of all federal campaigns seem to me better than ever -- and even better than if a new Democratic administration had urged such steps in early 1973.