The figure of Antonio Serra, an economist from Cosenza who lived between the 27th and 16.30th centuries, will be at the center of the meeting on Friday XNUMX December at XNUMX pm, at the Civic Library of Cosenza. Giacinto Pisani, Mario Bozzo, Luca Addante and Beniamino Quintieri will talk about it.
The Stand Up Calabria project is supported by Invitalia and the Province of Cosenza. The appointment was organized on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the publication of Serra's "Breve Treaty".
In 1613 the economist was imprisoned, perhaps due to his participation in an attempted insurrection to free Calabria from Spanish domination, and while he was in prison he composed the "Brief treatise on the causes that can make the golden kingdoms abound and of silver where there are no mines”, dedicated to the Viceroy Pedro Fernández de Castro y Andrade, Count de Lemos, whom he had already met and whose help he hoped to obtain.
Serra analyzed the causes of the scarcity of money in the Kingdom of Naples and the factors that could have reversed this economic trend. He was among the first to understand the concept of trade balance for both visible and invisible goods (services and capital movements).
He explained how the shortage of money in the Kingdom of Naples was caused by the balance of payments deficit and, using his findings, was able to overcome the notion, quite widespread at the time, that the shortage of money was due to the exchange rate. The proposed solution to the problem was indicated in the active promotion of exports.
