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Antonio De Viti de Marco, political competition, and the principle of minimum means

Author

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  • Amedeo Fossati

    (Università di Genova)

  • Marcello Montefiori

    (Università di Genova)

Abstract

De Viti de Marco is generally regarded as one of the most eminent scholars of the early Italian public finance tradition. This paper presents a new interpretation of his thought with respect to the prevailing literature. In particular, an original perspective is provided for three main themes. The first is the consistency of De Viti’s theory of the state, that is presented as a coherent but naïf structure founded on the principle of minimum means and on political competition. The second suggests that his reflections on concrete problems are clearly independent from his theoretical framework, which still presents some features that may have application in modern democratic states. Finally, it is argued that, even if De Viti’s role in spreading the marginal analysis in Italy remains unquestioned, he seldom employed marginal tools in his analysis, and that he was more closely related with classical economics, rather than with the real approach of marginal analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Amedeo Fossati & Marcello Montefiori, 2016. "Antonio De Viti de Marco, political competition, and the principle of minimum means," Working papers 49, Società Italiana di Economia Pubblica.
    • Handle: RePEc:ipu:wpaper:49
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giuseppe Eusepi & Richard E. Wagner, 2013. "Tax Prices in a Democratic Polity: The Continuing Relevance of Antonio de Viti de Marco," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 45(1), pages 99-121, Spring.
    2. Amedeo Fossati & Paolo Silvestri, 2012. "Un inedito dissidio epistemologico sui miti e paradossi della giustizia tributaria di einaudi: le lettere perdute di Mauro Fasiani," STUDI ECONOMICI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2012(108), pages 5-80.
    3. Besley, Timothy, 2007. "Principled Agents?: The Political Economy of Good Government," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199283910.
    4. Amedeo Fossati, 2013. "The Double Taxation of Savings: The Italian Debate Revisited," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 45(1), pages 123-148, Spring.
    5. Fossati, Amedeo, 2006. "Needs, the Principle of Minimum Means, and Public Goods in de Viti de Marco," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 28(4), pages 427-438, December.
    6. Giuseppe Eusepi & Richard Wagner, 2012. "Indebted state versus intermediary state: who owes what to whom?," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 199-212, September.
    7. Amedeo Fossati, 2014. "Luigi Einaudi e Mauro Fasiani: il dibattito epistemologico dal 1941 al 1943 (The debate between Luigi Einaudi and Mauro Fasiani (1941-1943))," Il Pensiero Economico Italiano, Fabrizio Serra Editore, Pisa - Roma, vol. 22(1), pages 91-153.
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    1. Amedeo Fossati, 2016. "The First Principles of Public Finance by Antonio de Viti de Marco: Is There Any Disparity between the Assessments of the Italian and the English Speaking Scholars?," STUDI ECONOMICI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(118-119-1), pages 88-110.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Italian tradition in public finance; De Viti de Marco; economic theory of state intervention;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B13 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Neoclassical through 1925 (Austrian, Marshallian, Walrasian, Wicksellian)
    • B2 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925
    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • H1 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue

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