“Italian Economists of the 20th Century”, edited by Ferdinando Meacci, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 1998

This book contains twelve essays on some important Italian economists whose works were mostly published in the 20th century. The essays are written mostlty by non-Italian authors and deal with Vilfredo Pareto (by A. Kirman), Maffeo Pantaleoni (Peter Groenewegen), Enrico Barone (P. C. Dooley), Antonio De Viti de Marco (O. Kayaalp), Marco Fanno (R. Arena), Costantino Bresciani-Turroni (H. D. Kurz), Luigi Einaudi (F. Meacci), Piero Sraffa (B. Schefold), Franco Modigliani (C. Dangel), Paolo Sylos Labini (J. Halevi), Pierangelo Garegnani (G. Mongiovi), and L. Luigi Pasinetti (J. R. Teixeira). A short introduction by Ferdinando Meacci opens the volume and advances a suggestive hypothesis for a comprehensive interpretation of the evolution of Italian economic thought during the last century. This introduction is an attempt to treat the thoughts of the twelve economists as a sample from which to infer a brief outline of Italian economics in the 20th century and of its links with economics in general. This outline is sketched in two glimpses. One looks at the economists one after the other according to the period in which they lived (and is accordingly called ‘vertical’). The other looks at them one next to the other according to the methods they have in common (and is accordingly called ‘horizontal’).