Federico Caffè e la diffusione del pensiero economico (Federico Caffè and the diffusion of economic thought)

Federico Caffè (1914-1987) was a renowned Italian economist particularly dedicated to political economy. He also acted as an extraordinary agent of diffusion of economic thought through a relentless publishing activity. Caffè’s diffusing effort was motivated by his personal historicism and his philosophy of history. His effort proceeded over three channels: academia, trade unions and newspapers. He registered his main success in teaching. An entire generation of economists absorbed his lesson of eclecticism transferring it in their own activities and workplaces. Among the economic actors of big business, big labour and big government, instead, Caffè could only testimony the permanence of old ideas. His articles, published by independent newspapers over decades, had a wider audience and appreciation, but his preaching remained unheeded. He nonetheless believed that his writings would be part of future historiography, pointing at those possible civilizations that, ignored at present, could become reality in future