Taxation: A Fieldwork Research Handbook

Taxation is a subject of enquiry that cuts across a range of disciplines, including law, economics, politics, psychology, history and accountancy, to name a few. However, research into taxation as a social and institutional phenomenon – rather than as abstraction from the real world – is largely neglected.

Taxation: A Fieldwork Research Handbook opens up new avenues of enquiry in the research of taxation by offering suggestions on how research might be conducted into actual tax practice, rather than abstract models. This book:

• Introduces tax as a field of enormous potential for research to all social scientists
• Explains the methodological issues relating to tax research
• Provides new opportunities for tax researchers to widen the scope of their enquiries
• Encourages researchers to think differently about this subject

Given the importance of taxation to modern society, not only as a revenue raising mechanism, but also as a tool of governance used to influence social actors, this unique text is a vital read for any social science researcher interested in this subject.

Lynne Oats is Professor of Taxation and Accounting at the University of Exeter, UK. Her research interest is taxation policy and practice in social and institutional contexts, in both historical and contemporary settings. She has published extensively in the field and is co-author of three books, Taxation Policy and Practice (Fiscal Publications, 2011), Principles of International Taxation (Bloomsbury Professional, 3rd edn 2012) and Accounting Principles for Tax Purposes (Bloomsbury Professional, 2010). She is Assistant Editor of British Tax Review and is Vice Chair of the UK Tax Reasearch Network.