Banks, Firms and Economic Culture: Economists and Research Centres in Interwar Italy

Economic notes: The early years, 1972–1983

“…This second strand of editorial activity, in fact, took the shape of launching new publications in the form of monographic essays, reprints of classics, translations, but also periodical journals, statistical bulletins and the collection of original data. Moreover, following the early example of the largest and at length most reputed bank in the country, Banca Commerciale Italiana (Comit), several credit institutes opened their own research department (Asso et al, 2021; Pino Pongolini, 1999). Generally located in the banks' headquarters and traditionally endowed with duties of ‘public external relations’, research departments worked under the direct supervision of the bank's top management and cultivated the rise of a new breed of economists and technical experts—the so‐called ‘bank economist’.…”

“…Historically, the rise of these activities was just another legacy of World War I (Asso et al, 2021). In Italy, one could say that it all started with the ‘Rivista Bancaria’ (1920), edited under the auspices of the Italian Banking Association (Associazione Bancaria Italiana [ABI]), which soon reached high academic standards and became a valuable ground of cross‐fertilization between university departments and the leading credit institutes (Pino Pongolini, 2000).…”