Agrarian Interests, Economic Institutions and the Role of the State. Fascist Land Reclamation Projects and the Intellectual Trajectories of Arrigo Serpieri and Giuseppe Tassinari

This article deals with the multi-layered historical evolution of the theoretical interpretation of the relations between State, society and market in Fascist Italy, combining the history of economic thought with that of juridical ideas and utilizing instruments of economic and institutional history as well. To understand such a vast and complex issue, we decided to look at it from a specific vantage point, namely the theoretical and legislative tensions that arose during the 1920s and the 1930s between Arrigo Serpieri and Giuseppe Tassinari, the economist-technicians who directed land reclamation plans under Fascism. In our opinion, this kind of inquiry has the potential to uncover some of the major problems of the time, finding answers to big questions in relatively small places.