This book explores the relationship between economic thought, proposals for reform of political institutions, and civil society in the period between the rise to power of Napoleon and the eve of the First World War in Italy and France - two countries with a similar cultural and political tradition and with personal mobility of the intellectual class. The first section of the book is devoted to the struggle for identity, justice, and liberty, including its economic dimensions. The relation between political and economic freedom and its effect on equity is then addressed in detail, and the third, concluding section focuses on the intellectual and political conflict between the social visions of liberalism and socialism in some of their various forms, again with consideration of the economic implications. The comparative nature of the analysis, combined with its interdisciplinary approach to the history of economic and political thought and social history, will enable the reader to understand more clearly the historical evolution of each country and the relevant contemporary political and economic issues.

This book explores the relationship between economic thought, proposals for reform of political institutions, and civil society in the period between the rise to power of Napoleon and the eve of the First World War in Italy and France - two countries with a similar cultural and political tradition and with personal mobility of the intellectual class. The first section of the book is devoted to the struggle for identity, justice, and liberty, including its economic dimensions. The relation between political and economic freedom and its effect on equity is then addressed in detail, and the third, concluding section focuses on the intellectual and political conflict between the social visions of liberalism and socialism in some of their various forms, again with consideration of the economic implications. The comparative nature of the analysis, combined with its interdisciplinary approach to the history of economic and political thought and social history, will enable the reader to understand more clearly the historical evolution of each country and the relevant contemporary political and economic issues.

The assessment and measurement of the level of well-being in a society have been on the radar of researchers and institutions for many years. The commonly held opinion was that this kind of research was useful for developing economies, whereas the Western world, thanks to its long-established high standards of living, would have no need for this kind of research. However, the political and economic events of the Seventies and Eighties have called this paradigm into question, highlighting the increasing inequality even in high-income countries, in the access to both resources and services. At the same time, there has been growing awareness of the consequences of overexploiting natural resources and pollution. Consequently, sustainability issues have been raised alongside equity issues. All of this provided the basis for an approach to research that would look beyond the mere monetary value and evaluate different aspects of the quality of life. Now, we have reliable evidence of how well people live in society and how much is available to develop human faculties. These measurements help policymakers determine whether the choice of policies are suitably geared towards the improvement of citizens well-being and where greater efforts should be made. The authors have developed their analysis in this context. By aggregating variables, they have built a multidimensional indicator of well-being able to balance the trade-off between the immediate availability and completeness of information. The book is organised as follows: The first chapter provides a concise definition of well-being and lists the issues that arise from the measurement of well-being through GDP. It then examines and discusses the two different approaches to measurement: the capabilities of Amartya Sen and the indicators of Dasgupta. The second chapter provides a general description of the main measurements of well-being. The third chapter analyses the literature where the authors research falls. The fourth chapter describes the development and the methodology of the indicator, whilst the fifth chapter discusses the results of the indicators and draws some conclusions. The book describes a multi-speed Europe, where only a few countries, sparsely populated, enjoy high standards of well-being. Larger countries with a variety of needs and preferences have greater difficulties. Finally, several countries that have recently joined the EU must lay the groundwork for the implementation of policies for the well-being of their citizens. The European Union should guarantee the pursuit of economic and human development in all Member States. In order to do this, the policies should be focused not only on improving the economic reference parameters, but also on increasing the well-being of all citizens. The political authorities need to realise that the enlargement of the European Union, which includes heterogeneous countries, requires a different way of operating and tackling the challenges of the future. The cultural differences and changes in the global economy should be the starting point for political and economic actions so that Europe can seize new opportunities and guarantee well-being prospects for all of its citizens.