The Early Reception and Diffusion of Irving Fisher's Work in Italy

The importance of Irving Fisher’s theoretical contribution was recognized by the Italian economists as early as 1892, upon publication of his PhD thesis, Mathematical Investigations in the Theory of Value and Prices, a seminal work which was immediately read and highly praised by Maffeo Pantaleoni, Vilfredo Pareto and Enrico Barone. This paper aims at examining the early dissemination of Fisher’s thought in Italy and the influence exercised by his contribution on the theories of capital and income, of interest and of money; it also considers his price stabilization policy proposals. To this end, a critical survey is provided of the reviews and articles concerning Fisher’s work published in Italian economic journals up to 1930. This is accompanied by an evaluation of the impact of Fisher’s work on the thought of major Italian economists of the time, including Enrico Barone, Umberto Ricci, Achille Loria, Luigi Einaudi, Attilio Cabiati, Marco Fanno, Gustavo Del Vecchio.