The Consumption of Tobacco in Italy, 1871-1913: National and Regional Estimates

Carlo Ciccarelli ()

Rivista di storia economica, 2012, issue 3, 409-452

Abstract: This paper provides an historical account of the consumption of manufacturedtobacco in post-Unification Italy. The main phases of the monopolyare first reviewed. National and regional time series estimates for theyears from 1871 to 1913 are then presented. At the national level, the newfigures document a long-term reduction in per-capita consumption and along-term increase in real per-capita spending. Per-capita real spendingon tobacco followed rather closely the familiar Kuznets cycle with upperturning points in the mid-1870s, 1887, and, at an unprecedented level,in the pre-WWI years. The new estimates provide additional support tothe «optimistic view» of the much debated «crisis» of the 1880s. Thelongitudinal features of the new regional estimates are also exploited. Astandard myopic model of tobacco consumption is considered and tentativeestimates of both short and long run income and price elasticitiesare provided. The paper ends by presenting possible directions for futureresearch.

Date: 2012
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