Economisti del cinque e seicento

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

22502

Title

Economisti del cinque e seicento

Language

it

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1913 collection presents seminal 16th- and 17th-century Italian economic treatises by Gasparo Scaruffi, Antonio Serra, and Geminiano Montanari. Focusing on monetary theory, the texts argue for standardized weights, fixed metal values, and universal minting rules to stabilize prices and prevent inflation caused by debasement and inconsistent coinage practices across Italian states.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in 1913 by Laterza, *Economisti del cinque e seicento* compiles three seminal works by Gasparo Scaruffi, Antonio Serra, and Geminiano Montanari, offering a unified critique of the economic crises plaguing early modern Italy. Collectively, these authors advocate for a rational, state-regulated approach to currency, asserting that sound money is the bedrock of a prosperous society. Gasparo Scaruffi's *Alitinonfo* proposes a rigorous mathematical system to standardize gold and silver. He argues that the market suffers from fraud and instability due to the lack of universal standards. Scaruffi details a method to mint coins of various denominations without fractional errors, establishing a fixed ratio of 12:1 between gold and silver to ensure fair exchange across regions. He contends that a single universal mint order would stabilize commerce, eliminating the chaos caused by varying weights and values in different cities. Antonio Serra shifts the focus to the causes of monetary scarcity, specifically analyzing the economic disparity between Naples and Venice. He critiques arbitrary government restrictions on currency flow and argues that trade deficits and unfavorable exchange rates drain precious metals from a nation. Serra posits that the abundance of gold and silver depends not on natural resources but on government policy, the quality of the populace, and the volume of trade. He advocates for policies that encourage export and maintain a favorable balance of trade to attract wealth. Geminiano Montanari's *Zecca in Consulta di Stato* offers a comprehensive critique of contemporary minting abuses, such as clipping and debasement. He asserts that the intrinsic value of coins must align with their metal content to maintain public trust. Montanari argues that when governments debase currency or allow foreign coins to circulate at inflated values, it leads to price inflation and economic ruin for both the state and the private citizen. He emphasizes that price stability is directly linked to consistent metallurgical standards and sound fiscal policy. These texts prefigure modern monetary theory by linking economic health to consistent standards and sound governance. By championing a unified system of weights, measures, and values, these thinkers laid the groundwork for understanding how state regulation and honest coinage are essential for preventing the "pestilence" of monetary disorder that consumed the world of their time.

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Categories

• History
• Economics