Il primato della ricerca empirica. Francesco Antonio Répaci alla scuola di Luigi Einaudi (The primacy of empirical research: Francesco A. Répaci, faithful disciple of Luigi Einaudi)

Francesco A. Répaci, Luigi Einaudi’s faithful disciple and co-author, reformulated the theory of the economic tax for the modern State in connection with the principles of a sound budget. Above all, he contributed to the empirical knowledge of economic and financial phenomena, by focussing on data analysis. In particolar, he studied the budgets of the State, of local government units and of the Staterun railway company, the secular trend of public revenue and public expenses, the measurement of custom duties, the burden of direct and indirect local taxes, the prices and consumption of large towns, and the taxes on gambles. This approach directly connects Répaci not only to his master, but also to the founder of the Laboratorio di economia politica (Laboratory of Political Economy) of the University of Turin, Salvatore Cognetti De Martiis. To illustrate the aims of the Laboratorio, the latter had chosen the motto «Haec placet experientia veri»