Antonio Serra and the Economics of Good Government

Little is known of Antonio Serra except that he wrote his extraordinary 1613 Short Treatise on the Causes that Make Kingdoms Abound in Gold and Silver even in the Absence of Mines in a Neapolitan jail, and that he died there soon afterwards. However the contribution this work made represents a watershed not only in the discipline of economics but in the history of social science and intellectual history more generally.

In this book some of the world's leading economists and experts on Serra explore the enduring appeal of Breve trattato. The authors analyse the work in its historical, economic, cultural and intellectual contexts, exploring the finer details of his theory regarding international financial interactions and his indebtedness to Renaissance legal traditions. The book also uncovers new material relating to Serra's life and provides in-depth interpretation of his key insights, influences and political economy.

This book highlights the parallels between issues discussed by Serra and modern political and scholarly consciousness, and illustrates the importance and influences of historical debate in modern economic thinking.

Autorentext

Rosario Patalano is Professor of the History of Economic Thought at the University of Naples 'Federico II'.

Sophus A. Reinert is Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Business, Government, and the International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School.

Zusammenfassung

In this book some of the world's leading economists and experts on Serra explore the enduring appeal of his 1613 Breve trattato.

Inhalt

Introduction: Rosario Patalano and Sophus A. Reinert

1. The Place of Naples in the Seventeenth-century Spanish Empire: Gabriel Paquette
2. The Vicaria Prison of Naples in the time of Antonio Serra: Francesca De Rosa
3. The Cost of Empires: Antonio Serra and the Debate on the Causes and Solutions of Economic Crises in the Viceroyalty of Naples in the Seventeenth Century: Giovanni Zanalda
4. Serra's Brief Treatise in a World-System Perspective: The Dutch Miracle and Italian Decadence in the Early 17th Century: Rosario Patalano
5. The Influence of Portuguese Economic Thought on the Breve trattato:
   Antonio Serra and Miguel Vaaz in Spanish Naples: Gaetano Sabatini
6. Authority and Expertise at the Origins of Macroeconomics: Sophus A. Reinert
7. The Republic of Liberties and Wealth: The Politics of Antonio Serra: Luca Addante
8. External imbalances and the money supply: Two controversies in the English 'Realme' and in the Kingdom of Naples: Lilia Costabile
9. Real and Monetary Factors in the de Santis-Serra Controversy: André Tiran
10. Serra and underdevelopment: Cosimo Perrotta
11. 'To console and alleviate the human mind': Ferdinando Galiani's attempted re-publication of Serra in the 1750s: Koen Stapelbroek
12. Francesco Saverio Salfi and the eulogy for Antonio Serra: Politics, Freemasonry and the consumption of Culture in the Early Nineteenth Century: Antonio Trampus
13. Serra's Discovery and Ill Fate in the Liberal Nineteenth Century:Francesco di Battista
14. The Heritage of Antonio Serra: Alessandro Roncaglia
15. Serra's Breve Trattato and the Financial and Monetary Aspects of Economic Development: Jan Kregel
16. Antonio Serra and the Problems of Today: Erik S. Reinert
    Index