Title: Welfare, Credit and Solidarity in Early Modern Italy
Subtitle: Institutions for Women, Farmers, and the Poor
Subject Classification:  History, Economics and Finance, Gender Studies  
BIC Classification: HB, JFSJ, KC
BISAC Classification: HIS020000, BUS051000, HIS054000
Binding: Hardback, eBook
Planned publication date: Jan 2026
ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-83711-631-7
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-83711-632-4

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Description

This book examines the evolution of assistance and credit institutions in early modern Italy, focusing on Monti di Pietà, Monti dotali, Monti frumentari, and the “alla voce” contract. Bringing together economic history, gender studies, and the civil economy tradition, it shows how these institutions supported women, farmers, and the poor, providing community-based responses to poverty, exclusion, and financial need.

Drawing on extensive archival research and case studies from Florence, Bologna, and the Kingdom of Naples, the book traces how local communities developed inclusive financial practices long before modern welfare states. Rooted in solidarity, reciprocity, and trust, these models anticipated key features of today’s ethical finance, cooperative credit, and rural microcredit. Bridging past and present, the volume offers both historical depth and contemporary relevance for scholars and practitioners interested in social finance and the history of welfare.

Biography

Author(s):  Dr. Giulia Gioeli is a researcher at Istituto Italiano Per Gli Studi Storici, Italy.

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