Networks in the Early History of Capitalism

Merchant Practices in Renaissance Venice
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-032-62813-4
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 226 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 499 g

Reihe: Routledge Explorations in Economic History

Drawing on a detailed examination of Venetian commerce in the Middle Ages, this book explores the business practices and structures that enabled merchants to compete in a challenging international market.

Contributing to the literature on the early history of capitalism, this book demonstrates how Venetian merchants combined innovation with traditional methods to maintain their edge in a competitive world, providing valuable lessons on resilience and strategic planning in commerce. Small- and mid-sized commercial companies operating across borders and geographies in the early Renaissance period faced numerous challenges, including identifying profitable sectors and businesses, developing effective business strategies, dealing with peers and subordinates, managing the flow of information, and assessing risks and potential rewards. The chapters explore a range of topics in this context, including the roles of family-based firms, the strategic deployment of agents, and the impact of state policies on private enterprise. Readers are introduced to the ways Venetian merchants managed capital, adapted to market demands, and overcame obstacles like wars and resource shortages.

This book will be of significant interest to historians and social scientists researching economic history, the history of trade, the history of capitalism, medieval and Renaissance history, and historical network analysis.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Montemezzo, Stefania

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftsgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 1. Venetian business models 2. Companies and public institutions 3. Commercial Strategies 4. Capital: tools, turnover and investments 5. Agent and intermediaries Conclusion References Index

Über Autor(innen)

Stefania Montemezzo is an economic and social historian with a keen interest in the Renaissance period in Italy. She received her PhD in Economic History from the University of Verona. Her professional experience includes research fellowships at the University of Bologna, Aalto University in Helsinki, the University of Padua, and I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies.