Over one hundred years of work in Italy
A book has just been published that traces a clear history of one of the foundations of civic life
Work changes with society, and so do companies and the way they operate. A question of technology but also of human relationships. And of goals and priorities for action. Much about the evolution of the economy and social relations can be understood by understanding how work has evolved. This is why “Il lavoro in Italia. Un profilo storico dall’Unità a oggi” (Work in Italy. A historical profile from the Unification to today) is an essential read. Written by Manfredi Alberti – researcher in History of Economic Thought at the University of Palermo – this is a book dedicated to the subject, full of content but clear in its presentation.
Alberto’s starting point is that the world of work in Italy has undergone profound changes since the Unification, linked to the economic, social, political and cultural shifts that have affected the country in its transition from a rural economy to the current service society. This long path of development and transformation encompasses the role of politics and the state in building the welfare state and labour law, the impact of migration and the evolution of gender differences, trade union struggles and the history of rights, but also the economic theories that have helped both to outline the contours of the social question and to explain the determinants and trends of key variables such as wages and employment.
Alberti also traces the history and current affairs of each topic, making extensive use of statistical sources and legislation, as well as reconstructing the historical changes that have transformed the value of labour in the country.
The book is divided into ten broad chapters: from the situation of post-unification Italy to that of early globalisation, from the working conditions of the First World War to those of the Twenties, from the situation during the Second World War to the early years of the Republic and the boom. It then covers the period of conflicts and reforms, the period of Fordism and the market, and finally the period of the second globalisation, precariousness and new forms of employment.
Alberti Manfredi really allows us to understand one of the foundations of the civic and social life of the Italian Republic.
Il lavoro in Italia. Un profilo storico dall’Unità a oggi
Manfredi Alberti
Carocci editore, 2024
A book has just been published that traces a clear history of one of the foundations of civic life
Work changes with society, and so do companies and the way they operate. A question of technology but also of human relationships. And of goals and priorities for action. Much about the evolution of the economy and social relations can be understood by understanding how work has evolved. This is why “Il lavoro in Italia. Un profilo storico dall’Unità a oggi” (Work in Italy. A historical profile from the Unification to today) is an essential read. Written by Manfredi Alberti – researcher in History of Economic Thought at the University of Palermo – this is a book dedicated to the subject, full of content but clear in its presentation.
Alberto’s starting point is that the world of work in Italy has undergone profound changes since the Unification, linked to the economic, social, political and cultural shifts that have affected the country in its transition from a rural economy to the current service society. This long path of development and transformation encompasses the role of politics and the state in building the welfare state and labour law, the impact of migration and the evolution of gender differences, trade union struggles and the history of rights, but also the economic theories that have helped both to outline the contours of the social question and to explain the determinants and trends of key variables such as wages and employment.
Alberti also traces the history and current affairs of each topic, making extensive use of statistical sources and legislation, as well as reconstructing the historical changes that have transformed the value of labour in the country.
The book is divided into ten broad chapters: from the situation of post-unification Italy to that of early globalisation, from the working conditions of the First World War to those of the Twenties, from the situation during the Second World War to the early years of the Republic and the boom. It then covers the period of conflicts and reforms, the period of Fordism and the market, and finally the period of the second globalisation, precariousness and new forms of employment.
Alberti Manfredi really allows us to understand one of the foundations of the civic and social life of the Italian Republic.
Il lavoro in Italia. Un profilo storico dall’Unità a oggi
Manfredi Alberti
Carocci editore, 2024