The Role of Culture in Italian Economic History, 1861-2021

"You could take the cynical, materialist, faux-“realistic”  view of Italian economic history, of missing raw materials and failing institutions and so forth. But there has to be some reason that Italy has been for a couple of decades one of the most dynamic countries in the world. There has to be a reason that this did not happen before and after those decades. The reason? Ideas, culture. Read the book and know." —Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, Isaiah Berlin Chair in Liberal Thought, Cato Institute; Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of Illinois at Chicago

"This bold interdisciplinary volume examines how values and attitudes expressed through culture shaped Italy’s economic fortunes from Unification to the present. If ideas can drive economic change, as these essays persuasively argue, then uncovering those that fueled Italy’s “economic miracle” not only deepens our understanding of the postwar boom but also, more urgently, offers insights into the conditions that might foster renewed prosperity today." 
—Jo Ann Cavallo, Professor Emerita, Columbia University

This edited volume reinterprets Italy’s economic development through the lens of culture. Building on Nicola Rossi’s earlier monograph, this book argues that Italy’s long-term economic performance is best explained not by institutions or resources alone, but by enduring cultural attitudes; particularly a persistent scepticism toward markets, innovation, and economic modernity. The volume examines how these attitudes are expressed in domains such as literature, cinema, education, fashion, legal systems, and public discourse. Overall, the volume offers an interdisciplinary account of how cultural beliefs have shaped Italy’s economic trajectory and its tensions with modern economic change.

Nicola Rossi is Chair of the Tax Evasion Commission at the Italian Ministry of the Economy, and former Full Professor of Political Economy at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. He is the author of Reframing Italian Economic History, 1861–2021 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024).