The economist and the enlightenment: how Cesare Beccaria changed Western civilization

John D. Bessler ()
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John D. Bessler: University of Baltimore School of Law

European Journal of Law and Economics, 2018, vol. 46, issue 3, No 2, 275-302

Abstract: Abstract This Article traces the influence of Cesare Beccaria’s writings on Western civilization. It explores the global impact of Beccaria’s 1764 book, Dei delitti e delle pene, later translated into English as An Essay on Crimes and Punishments. In particular, the Article highlights Beccaria’s advocacy for proportion between crimes and punishments and against the death penalty. The Article gives a short sketch of Beccaria’s life and describes the impact of Beccaria’s book and his legacy in shaping the world’s laws. The Article further describes how Beccaria’s role as an influential eighteenth-century economist has been neglected by some economic historians.

Keywords: Cesare Beccaria; Dei delitti e delle pene; On Crimes and Punishments; Enlightenment; Death penalty; Proportionality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B12 D63 K14 K4 K42 N00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10657-016-9546-z

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