Public Happiness as the Wealth of Nations: The Rise of Political Economy in Naples in a Comparative Perspective

Abstract

The paper surveys the rise of political economy in eighteenth-century Naples in a comparative perspective. It presents several arguments: first, that far from being a passive receptor, Naples was a producer of ideas about political economy that complemented other currents of thought in Europe; that the contribution of Antonio Genovesi was at the core of the intellectual development in Naples; that the progress of science and arts in Naples did not constitute a sharp break with the past; and, finally, that thinkers like Genovesi created a credible alternative to both the Hobbesian view of human nature and the Scottish model of political economy associated with Adam Smith. Genovesi’s attention to how cooperation can be created to overcome collective-action dilemmas adds to our knowledge of the archeology of modern rational choice theory, while his emphasis on public happiness has been given renewed significance in light of recent recognition that increases in wealth do not necessarily produce individual happiness or life satisfaction.