Antonio Serra and the Economics of Good Government

In this book some of the world's leading economists and experts on Serra explore the enduring appeal of his 1613 Breve trattato. 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-- Introduction: Antonio Serra And Th Economics Of Good Government / Rosario Patalano And Sophus A. Reinert -- The Place Of Naples In The 17th-century Spanish Empire: Gabriel Paquette -- The Vicaria Prison Of Naples In The Time Of Antonio Serra / Francesca De Rosa -- The Cost Of Empires: Antonio Serra And The Debate On The Causes And Solutions Of Economic Crises In The Viceroyalty Of Naples In The 17th Century / Giovanni Zanalda -- Serra's Brief Treatise In A World-system Perspective: The Dutch Miracle And Italian Decadence In The Early 17th Century / Rosario Patalano -- The Influence Of Portuguese Economic Thought On The Breve Trattato: Antonio Serra And Miguel Vaaz In Spanish Naples / Gaetano Sabatini -- Authority And Expertise At The Origins Of Macro-economics: Sophus A. Reinert -- The Republic Of Liberties And Wealth: The Politics Of Antonio Serra / Luca Addante -- External Imbalances And The Money Supply: Two Controversies In The English 'realme' And In The Kingdom Of Naples / Lilia Costabile -- Real And Monetary Factors In The De Santis-serra Controversy / Andre; Tiran -- Serra And Underdevelopment / Cosimo Perrotta -- 'to Console And Alleviate The Human Mind': Ferdinando Galiani's Attempted Republication Of Serra In The 1750s / Koen Stapelbroek -- Francesco Saverio Salfi And The Eulogy For Antonio Serra: Politics, Freemasonry, And The Consumption Of Culture In The Early 19th Century / Antonio Trampus -- Serra's Discovery And Ill Fate In The Liberal 19th Century / Francesco Di Battista -- The Heritage Of Antonio Serra / Alessandro Roncaglia -- Serra's Breve Trattato And The Theory Of Economic Development / Jan Kregel -- Antonio Serra And The Problems Of Today / Erik S. Reinert. Edited By Rosario Patalano, Professor Of The History Of Economic Thought, University Of Naples, Federico Ii, Italy) And Sophus Reinert (assistant Professor Of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, Usa). Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction: Antonio Serra and the Economics of Good Government....Pages 1-11 The Place of Naples in the 17th-Century Spanish Empire....Pages 12-22 The Vicaria Prison of Naples in the Time of Antonio Serra....Pages 23-37 The Cost of Empires: Antonio Serra and the Debate on the Causes and Solutions of Economic Crises in the Viceroyalty of Naples in the 17th Century....Pages 38-62 Serra’s Brief Treatise in a World-System Perspective: The Dutch Miracle and Italian Decline in the Early 17th Century....Pages 63-88 The Influence of Portuguese Economic Thought on the Breve trattato: Antonio Serra and Miguel Vaaz in Spanish Naples....Pages 89-111 Authority and Expertise at the Origins of Macro-economics....Pages 112-142 The Republic of Wealth and Liberty: The Politics of Antonio Serra....Pages 143-165 External Imbalances and the Money Supply: Two Controversies in the English “Realme” and in the Kingdom of Naples....Pages 166-190 Real and Monetary Factors in the de Santis-Serra Controversy....Pages 191-213 Serra and Underdevelopment....Pages 214-233 “To Console and Alleviate the Human Mind”: Ferdinando Galiani’s Attempted Republication of Serra in the 1750s....Pages 234-262 Francesco Saverio Salfi and the Eulogy for Antonio Serra: Politics, Freemasonry, and the Consumption of Culture in the Early 19th Century....Pages 263-280 Serra’s Discovery and Ill Fate in the Liberal 19th Century....Pages 281-298 The Heritage of Antonio Serra....Pages 299-314 Serra’s Breve trattato and the Theory of Economic Development....Pages 315-324 Antonio Serra and the Problems of Today....Pages 325-361 Back Matter....Pages 363-374 "Cover"--"Title"--"Copyright" -- "Contents" -- "Acknowledgements" -- "List of Contributors" -- "Introduction: Antonio Serra and the Economics of Good Government" -- "1 The Place of Naples in the 17th-Century Spanish Empire" -- "2 The Vicaria Prison of Naples in the Time of Antonio Serra" -- "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 17th Century" -- "4 Serraâ#x80;#x99;s Brief Treatise in a World-System Perspective: The Dutch Miracle and Italian Decline in the Early 17th Century" -- "5 The Influence of Portuguese Economic Thought on the Breve trattato : Antonio Serra and Miguel Vaaz in Spanish Naples" -- "6 Authority and Expertise at the Origins of Macro-economics" -- "7 The Republic of Wealth and Liberty: The Politics of Antonio Serra" -- "8 External Imbalances and the Money Supply: Two Controversies in the English â#x80;#x9C;Realmeâ#x80;#x9D; and in the Kingdom of Naples" -- "9 Real and Monetary Factors in the de Santisâ#x80;#x93;Serra Controversy" -- "10 Serra and Underdevelopment" -- "11 â#x80;#x9C;To Console and Alleviate the Human Mindâ#x80;#x9D;: Ferdinando Galianiâ#x80;#x99;s Attempted Republication of Serra in the 1750s" -- "12 Francesco Saverio Salfi and the Eulogy for Antonio Serra: Politics, Freemasonry, and the Consumption of Culture in the Early 19th Century" -- "13 Serraâ#x80;#x99;s Discovery and Ill Fate in the Liberal 19th Century" -- "14 The Heritage of Antonio Serra" -- "15 Serraâ#x80;#x99;s Breve trattato and the Theory of Economic Development" -- "16 Antonio Serra and the Problems of Today." 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 influence of this work 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 his Short Treatise. The authors analyse the work in its historical, economic, cultural and intellectual contexts, exploring the finer details of his theories regarding economic development and international financial interactions, as well as his indebtedness to earlier Renaissance 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.