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Papers by Francesca Dal Degan

Palgrave Studies in the History of Economic Thought, 2020

In the original version of the chapter '"Generalist" Journals between Dissemination of Economics ... more In the original version of the chapter '"Generalist" Journals between Dissemination of Economics and Regime Propaganda' the incorrect author given name (Francesca Dal) and family name (Degan), which has now been corrected. The chapter has been updated with the necessary change.

The Birth of Economics as a Social Science, 2019

Pisa University Press, 2020

Palgrave Studies in the History of Economic Thought, 2019

In the early twentieth century, “generalist” journals—which had their peak of popularity in the p... more In the early twentieth century, “generalist” journals—which had their peak of popularity in the previous century—continued to accommodate the contributions of economists, making a specific room for economic debate. However, with the affirmation of the fascist ideology, generalist periodicals progressively ceased to exist or to host economists’ articles. This chapter discusses the interplay between generalism and specialisation and identifies the events which produced the decaying of generalist journalism in the interwar period. After examining the main journals of this category, and the impact of the fascist regime on their vicissitudes, it focuses on the two most representative generalist journals of the time—Nuova Antologia and Echi e Commenti—showing how survival to fascist censorship implied their transformation into compliant means of regime propaganda.

Dal Degan focuses on the concept of sociability—a bridge concept that reveals its nodal nature be... more Dal Degan focuses on the concept of sociability—a bridge concept that reveals its nodal nature between moral and anthropological theory, politics and political economy—in order to penetrate Sismondi’s scientific discourse. Pointing out the importance that Sismondi attributed to structural elements such as distribution of property, participative institutions, different systems of production and organization of time, as well as to non-material factors concerning the form of interpersonal relationships, the chapter emphasizes the critical role of Sismondi’s economic analysis and its role in unravelling the oxymoronic nature of modern freedom. The outcome of these inquiries, in thousands of pages, makes up the material of Sismondi’s social science.

The Birth of Economics as a Social Science, 2019

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2018

The renewed interest in studies of Italian Enlightenment after the Second World War has enabled a... more The renewed interest in studies of Italian Enlightenment after the Second World War has enabled a complex new understanding of the Italian contribution to political economy. In particular, a new line of research that brings together the analysis of commercial society developed by Italian economists, and the canon of « civil life » elaborated within classical civic humanism and the natural legal tradition, has explained the deep ethical and social concerns inherent in the Italian approach to economic studies. This collection of articles takes stock of some of these achievements in scholarship and, at the same time, offers some new elements about the hermeneutical role played by these fundamental relationships between economics and ethics in identifying a more complex and multidimensional structure of scientific discourse. The articles are a selection of those presented at three conferences held in 2013, thanks to the support of the Luigi Sturzo Institute and Milan-Bicocca University, in Naples (Banco di Roma Foundation), Rome (Lumsa University) and Milan (Istituto Lombardo-Accademia di Scienze e Lettere), and they explore the thought of Antonio Genovesi as well as Eighteenth-Century Italian economic thought. KEYWORDS Antonio Genovesi; civil economy; Neapolitan enlightenment This collection of articles aims to present various aspect of the work of Antonio Genovesi (1713-1769), an author who marked the beginning of economics as a civil (political) and moral science in Italy. Antonio Genovesi started his career as a priest in 1737 and dedicated himself to scientific research in different fields: theology, ethics, philosophy, and, in the last part of his life, political economy. He attended Vico's private course in philosophy and then, from 1745 onwards, taught ethics in the chair belonging to his master: "the illustrious G. B. Vico one of my Maestros". Following a path similar to Adam Smith's, Antonio Genovesi started from logical studies and then dedicated himself to moral philosophy and economic research producing, inter alia, La Logica and Della Diceosina o sia della filosofia del giusto CONTACT

Handbook on the History of Economic Analysis Volume I

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2018

Some recent literature has rediscovered the Italian tradition of "civil economy". This literature... more Some recent literature has rediscovered the Italian tradition of "civil economy". This literature has underlined how the discourse about virtues and vices was fundamental in order to establish how, in a political and economic context, a harmonious order could be established. On the basis of this main focus on virtues and vices, it was stated that Genovesi's thought is essentially different from Smith's one. In this article, I argue that the direct focus on questions of virtues and vices does not help capture the novelty introduced by these authors and the relational value of their agency theory. KEYWORDS Antonio Genovesi; Adam Smith; Ethics and Economics 1. Introduction Some recent literature has conveniently rediscovered the Italian tradition of "civil economy" underlining the importance of the ethical content of this reflection on economic functioning. 1 Antonio Genovesi, Dragonetti, Gioja are among the main representatives of this cultural perspective inaugurated in the eighteenth-century Italy and, from the outset, in deep dialogue with European contemporary traditions as stated by Robertson. 2 Common sources like Mandeville, Hume, Shaftesbury as well as similar problems are at the core of the scientific research of these authors. Political order in plural societies, civil liberties, self-realisation within a social context, wealth primarily perceived as an instrument of inclusion and independence from the power of others are the focus of their work. In Hume's words, it is possible to assert that a central question of this tradition of thought was the "cement of society", that is, the elements that CONTACT

The paper presents an ongoing research project on the language of economics through history. At t... more The paper presents an ongoing research project on the language of economics through history. At the same time, it contains a call for expressions of interest in an international network on the economics lexicon

Palgrave Studies in the History of Economic Thought, 2020

In the original version of the chapter '"Generalist" Journals between Dissemination of Economics ... more In the original version of the chapter '"Generalist" Journals between Dissemination of Economics and Regime Propaganda' the incorrect author given name (Francesca Dal) and family name (Degan), which has now been corrected. The chapter has been updated with the necessary change.

The Birth of Economics as a Social Science, 2019

Pisa University Press, 2020

Palgrave Studies in the History of Economic Thought, 2019

In the early twentieth century, “generalist” journals—which had their peak of popularity in the p... more In the early twentieth century, “generalist” journals—which had their peak of popularity in the previous century—continued to accommodate the contributions of economists, making a specific room for economic debate. However, with the affirmation of the fascist ideology, generalist periodicals progressively ceased to exist or to host economists’ articles. This chapter discusses the interplay between generalism and specialisation and identifies the events which produced the decaying of generalist journalism in the interwar period. After examining the main journals of this category, and the impact of the fascist regime on their vicissitudes, it focuses on the two most representative generalist journals of the time—Nuova Antologia and Echi e Commenti—showing how survival to fascist censorship implied their transformation into compliant means of regime propaganda.

Dal Degan focuses on the concept of sociability—a bridge concept that reveals its nodal nature be... more Dal Degan focuses on the concept of sociability—a bridge concept that reveals its nodal nature between moral and anthropological theory, politics and political economy—in order to penetrate Sismondi’s scientific discourse. Pointing out the importance that Sismondi attributed to structural elements such as distribution of property, participative institutions, different systems of production and organization of time, as well as to non-material factors concerning the form of interpersonal relationships, the chapter emphasizes the critical role of Sismondi’s economic analysis and its role in unravelling the oxymoronic nature of modern freedom. The outcome of these inquiries, in thousands of pages, makes up the material of Sismondi’s social science.

The Birth of Economics as a Social Science, 2019

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2018

The renewed interest in studies of Italian Enlightenment after the Second World War has enabled a... more The renewed interest in studies of Italian Enlightenment after the Second World War has enabled a complex new understanding of the Italian contribution to political economy. In particular, a new line of research that brings together the analysis of commercial society developed by Italian economists, and the canon of « civil life » elaborated within classical civic humanism and the natural legal tradition, has explained the deep ethical and social concerns inherent in the Italian approach to economic studies. This collection of articles takes stock of some of these achievements in scholarship and, at the same time, offers some new elements about the hermeneutical role played by these fundamental relationships between economics and ethics in identifying a more complex and multidimensional structure of scientific discourse. The articles are a selection of those presented at three conferences held in 2013, thanks to the support of the Luigi Sturzo Institute and Milan-Bicocca University, in Naples (Banco di Roma Foundation), Rome (Lumsa University) and Milan (Istituto Lombardo-Accademia di Scienze e Lettere), and they explore the thought of Antonio Genovesi as well as Eighteenth-Century Italian economic thought. KEYWORDS Antonio Genovesi; civil economy; Neapolitan enlightenment This collection of articles aims to present various aspect of the work of Antonio Genovesi (1713-1769), an author who marked the beginning of economics as a civil (political) and moral science in Italy. Antonio Genovesi started his career as a priest in 1737 and dedicated himself to scientific research in different fields: theology, ethics, philosophy, and, in the last part of his life, political economy. He attended Vico's private course in philosophy and then, from 1745 onwards, taught ethics in the chair belonging to his master: "the illustrious G. B. Vico one of my Maestros". Following a path similar to Adam Smith's, Antonio Genovesi started from logical studies and then dedicated himself to moral philosophy and economic research producing, inter alia, La Logica and Della Diceosina o sia della filosofia del giusto CONTACT

Handbook on the History of Economic Analysis Volume I

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2018

Some recent literature has rediscovered the Italian tradition of "civil economy". This literature... more Some recent literature has rediscovered the Italian tradition of "civil economy". This literature has underlined how the discourse about virtues and vices was fundamental in order to establish how, in a political and economic context, a harmonious order could be established. On the basis of this main focus on virtues and vices, it was stated that Genovesi's thought is essentially different from Smith's one. In this article, I argue that the direct focus on questions of virtues and vices does not help capture the novelty introduced by these authors and the relational value of their agency theory. KEYWORDS Antonio Genovesi; Adam Smith; Ethics and Economics 1. Introduction Some recent literature has conveniently rediscovered the Italian tradition of "civil economy" underlining the importance of the ethical content of this reflection on economic functioning. 1 Antonio Genovesi, Dragonetti, Gioja are among the main representatives of this cultural perspective inaugurated in the eighteenth-century Italy and, from the outset, in deep dialogue with European contemporary traditions as stated by Robertson. 2 Common sources like Mandeville, Hume, Shaftesbury as well as similar problems are at the core of the scientific research of these authors. Political order in plural societies, civil liberties, self-realisation within a social context, wealth primarily perceived as an instrument of inclusion and independence from the power of others are the focus of their work. In Hume's words, it is possible to assert that a central question of this tradition of thought was the "cement of society", that is, the elements that CONTACT

The paper presents an ongoing research project on the language of economics through history. At t... more The paper presents an ongoing research project on the language of economics through history. At the same time, it contains a call for expressions of interest in an international network on the economics lexicon