Social Support Systems in Rural Italy: The Modern Age Regional States of the Northern Peninsula

This book explores the development of social support systems in rural Northern Italy during the Modern age, focusing on the role of welfare and micro-credit activities in the political and socio-economic landscape. It examines how the formation of a structured support system influenced local identity and individual rooting, drawing from various fields of research and integrating recent research on the anthropological value of welfare actions.

Format: Hardback
Length: 308 pages
Publication date: 03 May 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This comprehensive book delves into the evolution of social support systems in the rural areas of city-states in Northern Italy during the Modern era. Its primary objectives are twofold: firstly, to gain a profound understanding of the concrete role played by welfare and microcredit activities in the political and socio-economic landscape of rural Northern Italy; and secondly, to investigate the extent to which the formation of a more or less structured support system influenced the establishment of local identity and the integration of individuals. The book brings together diverse perspectives from various fields of research, including economic and political history, the study of ecclesiastical institutions, and recent research on the anthropological value of welfare actions and the utilization of multiple historical sources. It explores how the retreat of state welfare activities, coupled with depopulation and the escalation of poverty in rural areas previously unaffected by economic challenges, prompts us to examine more closely the dynamics that shaped support activities against indigence and poverty during the Ancien Régime. This book holds significant appeal to scholars and students engaged in the fields of economic history and social history.

Weight: 549g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031243028
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023