Introduction

This article introduces the collection of the translated versions of a number of essays published in Rivista Internazionale di Scienze Sociali (RISS) during the 1940s and 1950s, under the directorship of Francesco Vito. More generally, this essay deals with the diverse topics discussed in RISS which concerned both economic theory and policy. With respect to the former field, RISS played an important role in presenting and critically examining the ‘‘new economics’’: Keynesian macroeconomics, business cycle theory, econometrics, imperfect competition and their advancements. As to economic policy, most of the articles in the volume were ‘fathered’ by Vito and a small group of scholars who had embraced his ‘Personalistic’ view of economics. In the articles, particular attention was devoted to the challenges posed by the reconstruction of the Italian economy, by European integration and by the pursuance of a set of social reforms which could promote the dignity and empowerment of human beings.