The wealth tax is undoubtedly one of the taxes that gives rise to most discussion in the public arena, in spite of the small amount of revenue it actually generates: in the two countries of the European Union that currently levy such a tax, Spain and France, it represents just 0.3 and 0.5% of their total tax revenue, respectively. The tax seeks to be a levy on the value of all the assets that make up the wealth of an individual, above a minimum threshold that is exempted.The growing inequality in the distribution of wealth – which since the 1980s has doubled with respect to income (Piketty and Zucman, 2014) – and the effects of the Great Recession that are still appreciable have put the issue of inequality at the top of the public agenda, and the wealth tax is seen by many as a necessary tool for addressing this excessive inequality.

For some time now, issues related to citizen security – in its many manifestations – have come to form part and parcel of our day-to- day lives. However, this insecurity can take many guises. It is never far away in the relentless scourge of gender violence, a chronic affliction that seems resistant to all measures; in the plague of city pickpockets, whose ‘work’ many tourists take home as a souvenir of our cities; and in the inconveniences that we as local residents suffer when those who think they can disturb our peace and quiet are precisely the drunken raucous tourists that roam our streets. Given the growing social awareness of such acts of delinquency and crime, thanks to the broad coverage they obtain both in the media and on social platforms, security has come to constitute one of the main concerns of our society and it is clearly a challenge that must be faced with unfailing resolve in the coming years.

The role played by schools and teachers in the acquisition of students’ knowledge and competences is an ongoing object of study in the Economics of Education. In the case of teachers, this analysis focuses essentially on three elements: the rst is quantitative in nature – that is, seeking to determine if the student-teacher ratio is a relevant factor in students’ cognitive learning; while the other two elements are qualitative – on the one hand, determining whether having a “better” or “worse” teacher has an impact on the acquisition of students’ competences, and, on the other, examining which factors affect teacher quality.

The reform of Spain’s regional financing system finds itself once again on the agenda of the central government, albeit three years behind schedule. The debate is a recurrent one and far from straightforward, given that all reforms have their winners and losers, at least, relatively speaking.The outcome of the latest negotiations will usher in the sixth regional financing model since the process of decentralization was set in motion; though in a dynamic and changing world, it is both normal and desirable that the financing system be revised with a certain frequency.

In recent years, numerous books and articles on inequality have seen light of day (including those penned by Anthony Atkinson, Branko Milanovic,Thomas Piketty and Joseph Stiglitz).This growing presence of inequality in academic debate coexists with an increasing awareness of the phenomenon in the public sphere, as evidenced, for example, by the recent campaigns launched by Oxfam Intermon, which have had considerable repercussions. Inequality can be considered an area of “unresolved business” as far as Economics is concerned. In historical terms, mankind has made great strides in its material living standards, but economic progress has been accompanied by great disparities in individual well-being (Deaton, 2013).

State pensions represent 12% of Spain’s GDP and almost 30% of public spending, with one in four of all Spaniards receiving a state pension. Given their importance, it is logical that questions regarding the financial sustainability of the pension system are constantly being raised in our country’s political and economic debates. In 2011 and 2013, major reforms of the system were passed aimed at addressing the impact of an ageing population on the system’s sustainability. In 2011, steps were taken to gradually increase the statutory retirement age from 65 to 67, as well as to raise the minimum number of years of contribution for receiving a full pension. In 2013, an automatic balancing mechanism, the pension revaluation index, was introduced, establishing a minimum increase of 0.25% if pension revenues were insufficient to nance pension costs, and an increase of the CPI + 0.25% if they were.