Giuseppe Prato e il dibattito di politica economica e sociale del suo tempo (the work of Giuseppe Prato and his contribution to the degate on eraly twentieth-century economic policy)

This work analyses the scienti?c contribution of Giuseppe Prato (1873-1928), and particularly his writings on economic and social policy. A ?rst section examines his formation as research assistant in the Laboratorio di Economia politica directed by S. Cognetti de Martiis, his academic career, his collaboration with L. Einaudi and his work as member of the editorial sta? of «La Riforma sociale». The evolution of his political thought is also examined; a staunch supporter of liberalism and the free market, he strongly criticised Giolitti’s policies. As a consequence of the social unrest that followed World War I, however, he started to sympathise with Fascism, seen as a counterweight to Marxism. A further section examines his various writings on economic policy and particularly on protectionism, on the role of government in economic activities, on labour-management relations and trade unions. During the twenties Prato commented frequently on the monetary and ?scal policies adopted by ?nance ministers Alberto De’ Stefani and Giuseppe Volpi, as well as on the stabilisation of national currency.