This paper contributes to the debate on institutions and economic development by assessing the relationship between landownership concentration and education in Post-Unification Italy (1871-1921). Using historical data both at a district- and provincelevel, I nd evidence of a negative eect of land inequality on literacy rates. This result is conrmed when a large set of control variables is included in the analysis. IV estimates using the presence of malaria as a source of exogenous variation rule out further concerns regarding the presence of potential endogeneity. Further evidence is provided once I explore the panel dimension of the dataset. In addition, by analysing the impact on intermediate outputs such as enrolment rates in primary school, child-teacher ratio, school density, child labor and municipality expenditures, this paper provides insights on the mechanism behind this relationship. Land inequality may have adversely aected literacy rates not only by influencing the supply of schooling through the political process, but also through the private demand for education.
[La costituzione economica europea. Osservazioni sulla storia di un'idea irrealizzabile] This essay deals with the development of the integration project in the light of Polanyi's insights, first, with its so-called formative phase. Thereafter it addresses the post-foundational phase, which was characterized by enormous efforts to transform Europe's economy into a "highly competitive social market economy". Finally, it deals with the consummation of market integration by the establishment of Monetary Union. The monetary Union included an erosion of the notion of rule-oriented economic governance and, more drastically, the replacement of the economic constitution by emergency governance. A Governance that represents a technocratic exercise or a praxis that escapes the quest for democratic legitimacy and the constraint of the rule of law.
If it is true that geological discontinuities, as well systemic, like climate change, overpopulation, depletion of traditional energy sources, are evidences that today can hardly be questioned, this article intends to address, through the perspective of recorded history and deep history, those particular contributions that, in the complex warp of narratives that emerged on a global level, have proposed interpretations that resort to Malthusian and Neo-Malthusian paradigms. In this perspective of investigation, it is clear the role of the recent global crisis as a historical-economic phenomenon that has triggered countless debates about the overall stability of the system and accelerated the appearance of numerous questions about political-economic scenarios and the related political and social implications to come. ; Se è vero che discontinuità geologiche oltre che sistemiche come il cambiamento climatico, la sovrappopolazione, l'esaurirsi delle tradizionali fonti energetiche, sono evidenze che difficilmente oggi possono essere messe in discussione, il presente articolo intende affrontare, attraverso la prospettiva della recorded history e della deep history, quei particolari contributi che, nel complesso ordito di narrazioni emerse a livello globale, hanno prospettato interpretazioni che ricorrono a paradigmi malthusiani e neomalthusiani. In questa prospettiva di indagine risulta evidente il ruolo della recente crisi globale quale fenomeno storico-economico che ha innescato innumerevoli dibattiti circa la tenuta complessiva del sistema e accelerato la comparsa di numerosi interrogativi circa gli scenari politico-economici e relative implicazioni politiche e sociali a venire.
"Contenente studi e statistiche riguardanti la popolazione d'ogni stato e provincia, le istituzioni comunali, l'agraria, l'industria, le amministrazioni politiche, la marina militare d'Italia." ; Mode of access: Internet. ; Description based on: 1853; title from title page.
This essay examines the political destiny and function in government of the civic institutions and élites of formerly independent urban polities once they had settled into the new political context of the Italian regional states in the fifteenth century. Research conducted from the 1970s onwards has established the greater weakness of Padua's municipal institutions and élite in relation to Venice, as compared to the experience of many other cities of the Terraferma dominion. The essay focuses on the profile of issues connected with land in the Paduan civic council's activity in the later fifteenth century, also seeking to gauge the extent of its autonomy in policy-making and its perception of its role, especially in relation to the action of Venetian authority. The archival material used concerns both the activity of the Paduan council and the more general conduct of government in Venice and Padua.
Understanding why some countries are prosperous while others fail in achieving high standards of welfare and wellbeing is one of the most interesting and investigated topics in economics. Several candidate exlplanations have been proposed, for instance cultural factors (Banfield 1958, Putnam 1993), geographical determinism (Diamond 1997), institutional determinants (North 1990, Acemoglu 2000, Acemoglu 2012). Interestingly, a common feature of any theoretical argument is that each of them fits well with the recent European history. If it is the theory which has been adapted to Europe or if it is Europe which presents the characteristics suited to successful economic growth is debatable. According to Landes (1999), it is just a stylized fact that Europe took and kept the lead for at least the last one thousand years. Therefore, even though "some would say that Eurocentrism is bad [.], hence to be avoided", it can be understood as an aknowledgement of history. Of course, there is not full agreement on the topic and different perspectives on the matter have been proposed (Hobson 2004). Whatever the story is, the European case is an interesting one, both in historical and in current terms. Indeed, since the Nineteenth century Europe (and the Western World) has been undertaking a continuous growth process, achieving unprecedented levels of wealth. Such a historical path allowed the Western countries to take the lead economically and politically. Using Landes (1999) words, "we live in a world of inequality and diversity, in which there are three kinds of nations: those that spend lots of money to keep their weight down; those whose people eat to live; and those whose people don't know where the next meal is coming from". Europe and the West have been constantly in the first kind. However, richies have never been evenly distributed also within rich countries and this is true for Europe as well. In particular, European geography has been characterized by a growing dichotomy. On the one hand, some countries have been performing succesfully, maintaining levels of wealth which are top standards on a global scale. This is the case for continental countries, including Scandinavian economies and the United Kingdom. On the other hand, other countries have been falling behind and have not been able to keep in touch with the fast growing core. In this group we find the so called South of Europe, i.e. the Mediterranean countries, as well as the former sovietic Eastern economies. Of course, disparities have always been with us and this is not necessarily bad, since growth does not need to be a perfectly balanced process (Hirschman 1958). However, such an issue becomes relevant as long as national and regional disparities either do not reduce or worsen overtime. This is even more important if the diverging economies belong to the same political entity. This is precisely the case of Europe, in particular of the European Union, a political and economic construct in which policy interventions have been implemented in the last decades to foster convergence and cohesion between economies. This dissertation investigates some of the main topics in the empirical literature on economic growth. The scope is to assess empirically the validity of some theoreatical statements and policy provisions, focussing mostly on European economies because of their peculiar economic history. A broader cross-country analysis is also provided in the last section. As a first step we will test whether under some specific circumstances economies will tend to get closer and closer in terms of wealth. Theoretically, following Solow (1957), the standard neoclassical model predicts that one should find evidence of convergence, in the sense that poorer economies ar expected to grow faster than richer ones (Barro 1992, Mankiw 1990). Of course, this holds as long as economies are similar in terms of structural characteristics (as the composition of output and the distribution of labour force across sectors) and technology. Hence, the first part of this dissertation will address unconditional convergence in European regions from 1990 to 2007, a relitvely homogeneous set of economies, emphasizing the role of sectoral dynamics in shaping aggregate outcome. The analysis of the dynamics of economic output provides an insightful picture of trends in economic growth and inequality between regions, fully describing the evolution of the distribution. Even though some policy implications can be drawn, they are quite limited. Indeed, such an unconditional analysis does not allow to tell which factors are positively associated with economic performance and which are not. The second section of this dissertation explores this line of research by focusing on two domains which have become particularly relevant after the last crisis in 2008: deregulation and liberalization of the labour market, fiscal parameters. The last part of this work takes a broader perspective on economic growth and correlated phenomena, also enlarging the sample under analysis beyond the European Union. One of the emerging topic in the empirical literature concerns the investigation of the relationship between environment degradation and economic growth. If at a first glance a positive relationship may be the more obvious pattern, some theoretical arguments suggest that under specific conditions environmental degradation may start declining at higher levels of GDP. In particular, three factors may be fostering such a process: environmental friendly technological innovation, structural change towards less energy-intensive activities, change in individual preferences together with regulation. Given this set of hypothesis, starting from the Nineties a large amount of empirical studies has been investigating the relationship between various indicators of environmental degradation and GPD. The main scope is to test empirically the so called Environmental Kuznetz Curve hypothesis, which states that environmental degradation increases with income until a threshold level, after which the relationship turns negative. The main idea is that at a sufficiently high level of income the three mechanisms above will trigger the switch in the relationship. We will test this hypothesis for a large sample of countries, augmenting the standard model in order to account for convergence in environmental degradation.
One of the most outstanding characteristics of the late 14th century merchant letters is the extraordinary variety of their contents. The medieval merchants pour in their correspondences a flood of informations about economics, politics, health, society, art, private life in the widest possible meaning, and offer to contemporary scholars a very original and rich source to a multidisciplinary analysis on late medieval society. The letters in fact offer an extremely rich material to researchers not only on the economic history of the late 14th century, but also on the wider field of political, religious, material, sanitary history and to the analysis of interpersonal relationships and histoire de la mentalité of this period. ; Abstract Tra le caratteristiche più sorprendenti e significative del carteggio commerciale di fine Trecento emerge la sua straordinaria abbondanza di contenuti molto diversi. I mercanti del tempo riversano nelle loro lettere informazioni di tipo economico, politico, sanitario, religioso, sociale, artistico e privato, nell'accezione più ampia del termine, offrendo così agli studiosi odierni una fonte originalissima per un approccio multidisciplinare, un materiale utile non soltanto per la storia economica del tardo XIV secolo ma anche per la storia politica, sanitaria, religiosa, materiale, culturale, della mentalità e delle relazioni interpersonali di questo periodo.
The phenomenon of abandonment today mainly concerns small villages, located in disadvantaged or fragile areas, but also urban and industrial "fragments", which have concluded their life cycle or have lost their function, becoming incompatible with the socio-economic system. The most obvious causes are natural and anthropic, traumatic and gradual, and depend on the fragility of the territory, often increased by neglect and poor maintenance, in a spiral process in which abandonment increases neglect, neglect increases abandonment; but they also depend on the traditional socio-economic system, which cannot keep up with the speed of processes in the so-called advanced areas. Depopulation and abandonment are not phenomena of our time. In every age and at every latitude territories have been gradually inhabited, abandoned and then re-inhabited, according to a life cycle that is sometimes natural, sometimes unnaturally accelerated by political choices. However, it is evident, looking at the history of places, that single events have almost never been the sole cause of abandonment: often communities have faced and overcome a disaster, finding in themselves the stimuli and solutions for a possible recovery. Problems arise, however, when human action is added to the event, a disrespectful, short-sighted intervention or even simple inaction. These are political actions that directly or indirectly trigger processes of abandonment, where they do not follow the history, needs and identity of places and communities. Una storia di abbandono. Cause, conseguenze, trasformazioniIl fenomeno dell'abbandono oggi riguarda principalmente insediamenti "minori", ubicati in aree disagiate o fragili a cui si affiancano "frammenti" urbani e industriali che hanno concluso il proprio ciclo vitale o hanno perso la propria funzione, diventando incompatibili con il sistema socio-economico. Le cause più evidenti sono naturali e antropiche, traumatiche e graduali, che fanno leva sulla fragilità del territorio, spesso accresciuta da incuria e ...
The issue of public debt is not new for our country and, over time, its ratio to GDP has always been high and persistent. At the end of the Seventies, once those characteristics that had held back its increase disappeared, such as a significant economic growth and a low interest rate thanks to an accommodating monetary policy, the debt-to-GDP ratio progressively increases in relative and absolute terms. By breaking down the contributions made by budgetary policies and nominal growth in influencing the dynamics of the debt-to-GDP ratio, this work wants to examine, in a historical perspective (1861-2019), the reasons behind its evolution. ; Il problema del debito pubblico non è nuovo per il nostro paese e, nel corso del tempo, il suo rapporto rispetto al Pil è sempre stato elevato e persistente. Alla fine degli anni Settanta, una volta venute meno quelle caratteristiche che avevano contenuto l'incremento di tale rapporto, come la significativa crescita economica e un contenuto tasso di interesse favorito da una politica monetaria accomodante, si assiste progressivamente a un suo aumento significativo non solo in termini relativi ma anche assoluti. Scomponendo i contributi apportati dalle politiche di bilancio e dalla crescita nominale del prodotto nell'influenzare la dinamica del rapporto debito/Pil, tale lavoro vuole ricostruire, in una prospettiva storica (1861-2019), le ragioni alla base della sua evoluzione.
Antecedenti e precedenti dell'autarchia economica fascista. Gli interessi e le teorie delle autarchie. Gli assetti istituzionali dell'IMI e il finanziamento dell'autarchia. I mutui dell'IMI: attori, settori e obiettivi. ; Antecedenti e precedenti dell'autarchia economica fascista. Gli interessi e le teorie delle autarchie. Gli assetti istituzionali dell'IMI e il finanziamento dell'autarchia. I mutui dell'IMI: attori, settori e obiettivi. ; LUISS PhD Thesis
This contribution aims at briefly analysing the history of social cooperation in Italy, as a valuable and pluralistic reality in continuous expansion and transformation. The study and monitoring over time of cooperative organizations, with their occupational and economic impact, reveal a significant development in the community context of reference with regard to the supply of social, health and educational services, as well as opportunities for social and work inclusion also for people with disabilities. The historical narrative of Italian social cooperatives goes hand in hand with a possible global response to the needs of humanity, the demand for economic democracy and sustainable development. In the dramatic era of the Coronavirus, the culture of cooperation needs to be shaped according to a complex and peculiar business model, inspired by principles of solidarity and mutualism not conveyed by rhetoric but by social responsibility enhanced by inclusive processes. ; Il presente contributo intende sinteticamente analizzare la storia della cooperazione sociale in Italia, quale preziosa e pluralista realtà in continua espansione e trasformazione. Lo studio e il monitoraggio nel tempo delle organizzazioni cooperative, con il loro impatto occupazionale e economico, rilevano un significativo sviluppo nel contesto comunitario di riferimento relativamente all'offerta di servizi sociosanitari e educativi, oltre all'opportunità di inclusione sociale e lavorativa anche per le persone con disabilità. La narrazione storica delle cooperative sociali italiane si affianca a una possibile risposta globale ai bisogni dell'umanità, alla domanda di democrazia economica e di sviluppo sostenibile. Nella drammatica epoca del Coronavirus la cultura della cooperazione necessita di plasmarsi secondo un complesso e peculiare modello di impresa, ispirato a principi solidali e mutualistici non veicolati dalla retorica ma dalla responsabilità sociale potenziata dai processi inclusivi.
In a dramatic moment of her history, Florence, or rather the ruling class composed essentially by businessmen, decided in the summer 1342 to give herself to the power of Walter of Brienne, duke of Athens. The French-Apulian baron, linked to the Angevins of Naples, and so to the Guelph international alliance, should guarantee the political and economic interests of the Florentine merchant community, putting an end to the war against Pisa and reopening for Florence the essential access to the sea. About this diplomatic affair and, first of all, about its financial implications an exceptional witness is provided by the documentary evidences of Bartolo di Neri da Ruffiano. The Florentine notary collected sworn commitment to pay thousands of florins by 112 mercantile, banking and textiles companies.
Il quinto volume della serie "La signoria rurale nel XIV-XV secolo: per ripensare l'Italia tardomedievale" (PRIN 2015) offre ai lettori i risultati di un grande censimento delle formazioni signorili radicate nelle campagne italiane del Tre e Quattrocento. 146 schede, dovute a 60 diversi autori, propongono informazini di sintesi relative alle realtà più importanti, soffermandosi in particolare sulle loro vicende politiche, le modalità di esercizio del potere sui sudditi, la dimensione economica del "dominatus", ed offrendo indicazioni relative alla produzione documentaria legata a ciascuna signoria.
ITALIANO: O. Cavallar e J. Kirshner hanno pazientemente e sapientemente costruito una ricchissima antologia ragionata della dottrina giuridica di diritto comune, offrendo agli studiosi di un arco di discipline che va ben oltre la storia del diritto e del pensiero giuridico l'occasione di un forte recupero di un panorama di fonti di primaria importanza per la storia politica e del pensiero politico, per la storia sociale ed economica, per la storia delle istituzioni e per la stessa storia di genere nell'Italia medievale. / ENGLISH: O. Cavallar and J. Kirshner have patiently and skilfully put together an extremely rich annotated anthology of the legal doctrine of ius commune, offering scholars of a range of disciplines that goes well beyond the history of law and legal thought the opportunity for an extensive recovery of a wealth of sources of primary importance for the history of politics and political thought, for social and economic history, for the history of the institutions and for the history of gender in medieval Italy.
