The Economy of Renaissance Italy

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Italian economy during the Renaissance, highlighting the period's economic prosperity and the factors that contributed to it, such as capital per worker, productive capacity, and incomes. It also explores the modern-day capitalism that emerged from the Renaissance.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Drawing on a vast array of literature and adopting a macroeconomic perspective, this comprehensive volume offers a thorough examination of the Italian economy during the Renaissance, spanning the period between 1348, the year of the Black Death, and 1630. The Italian Renaissance played a pivotal role in shaping the modern world, with profound developments in culture, art, politics, philosophy, and science occurring alongside and intermingling with significant transformations in production, organizational structures, trade, finance, agriculture, and population. However, a common perception holds that the cultural splendor of the Renaissance coexisted with economic depression, and that the modernity of Renaissance culture coincided with an era of epidemics, famines, economic crises, poverty, and destitution. This book delves into both sides of the Italian economy during the Renaissance, revealing that capital per worker was abundant and productive capacity and incomes were relatively high. The persistent presence of the plague, which hindered population growth, played a significant role in this. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the organization of production in industry and finance, consumerism, human capital, and mercantile rationality laid the foundations for the modern-day capitalism that emerged later.

This book serves as an invaluable resource for scholars and students of the Renaissance and Italian economic history, providing a deep understanding of the complex and multifaceted economic landscape of this remarkable period.

Weight: 380g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367677763