The Italian Economy Seen from Abroad over 150 Years

Marcello de Cecco
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Marcello de Cecco: Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and LUISS Roma

No 21, Quaderni di storia economica (Economic History Working Papers) from Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area

Abstract: Since it became a united country, Italy was looked at with keen eyes by foreign economists, economic historians and policy-makers. They wanted to see whether it would be possible for the economy of a country which had in the XVII and XVIII century regressed to the role of agricultural raw material exporter after having been the premier site of European industry, trade and especially finance, in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, to redress itself and join the industrial revolution making good use of its population and territory, which gave it the potential to be among the great powers of Europe. In this paper several instances of this are considered, focusing on foreign observers who concerned themselves with the Italian economy at different stages of its development. An attempt is made to see what influence their opinions had on Italian economic debate and Italian policy-making.

Keywords: Italy; Economic history (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N13 N14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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