Page 95 - Mellinato, Giulio, and Aleksander Panjek. Eds. 2022. Complex Gateways. Labour and Urban History of Maritime Port Cities: The Northern Adriaticin a Comparative Perspective. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 95
The Free Port Debate: Economic Policies, International Equilibria and Mythologies ...
2019a). However, at the same time, Marseille’s request to regain the pre-
1789 status of a free port was rejected. The loss of the Caribbean colonies
(which were to be a central point of the system), the continuing state of
war, and the failure of the blockade meant that the Napoleonic project
never fully saw the light. However, Sismondi’s thought and Napoleon’s ac-
tions were destined to have a lasting influence in other contexts, thanks
to the revival and reinterpretation by Melchiorre Gioia (Delogu 2020a).
Gioia (Sofia 1988; 1990; 2017) appeared on the public scene at the be-
ginning of the Napoleonic age in Italy, winning the famous competition
Quale dei governi liberi meglio convenga alla felicità d’Italia with his essay.
Since this first work, printed in 1798, Gioia had emphasized the positive
and pacifying role of (free) trade. Then in 1802 he published Sul commer-
cio dei commestibili, a treatise in which he presented a straightforward de-
fence of free trade in grains. The rapidly evolving international situation,
however, prompted him, in 1806, to give voice to a very different posi-
tion in Cenni morali e politici sull’Inghilterra (Delogu 2020b). Here, fully em-
bracing the Napoleonic blockade, Gioia pronounced himself in favour of
government intervention in the economic field, to safeguard national in-
terests and freedoms. Meanwhile, since 1807, Gioia had been elaborat-
ing a more comprehensive treatise on ‘public and private administration’,
which would later come to light between 1815 and 1817, under the title
Nuovo prospetto delle scienze economiche. This treatise was the point of ar-
rival for his political-economic thought. Internal liberalization and the
overcoming of a feudal system based on hierarchical orders had to coexist
with the regulatory action of the ‘administration’ in the economic field.
By regulatory action Gioia meant customs protections, with the aim of
safeguarding internal manufacturing and workers, and stimulating pro-
ductivity and attracting capital. Napoleon had already made an attempt
in this direction: in fact, the free port seemed to Gioia one of the most
suitable tools. In the fifth volume of the Nuovo Prospetto, Gioia therefore
addressed the question of the free ports, quoting Sismondi as the author-
ity supporting his positions (Gioia 1817, 5:219–22). Gioia reiterated that
free ports had a positive role both for international trade and for the in-
ternal markets. Always attentive to the political and institutional side,
he underlined their role for the management of public health and for the
control of epidemics, a task of fundamental importance inside the frame-
work of an efficient administration.
95
2019a). However, at the same time, Marseille’s request to regain the pre-
1789 status of a free port was rejected. The loss of the Caribbean colonies
(which were to be a central point of the system), the continuing state of
war, and the failure of the blockade meant that the Napoleonic project
never fully saw the light. However, Sismondi’s thought and Napoleon’s ac-
tions were destined to have a lasting influence in other contexts, thanks
to the revival and reinterpretation by Melchiorre Gioia (Delogu 2020a).
Gioia (Sofia 1988; 1990; 2017) appeared on the public scene at the be-
ginning of the Napoleonic age in Italy, winning the famous competition
Quale dei governi liberi meglio convenga alla felicità d’Italia with his essay.
Since this first work, printed in 1798, Gioia had emphasized the positive
and pacifying role of (free) trade. Then in 1802 he published Sul commer-
cio dei commestibili, a treatise in which he presented a straightforward de-
fence of free trade in grains. The rapidly evolving international situation,
however, prompted him, in 1806, to give voice to a very different posi-
tion in Cenni morali e politici sull’Inghilterra (Delogu 2020b). Here, fully em-
bracing the Napoleonic blockade, Gioia pronounced himself in favour of
government intervention in the economic field, to safeguard national in-
terests and freedoms. Meanwhile, since 1807, Gioia had been elaborat-
ing a more comprehensive treatise on ‘public and private administration’,
which would later come to light between 1815 and 1817, under the title
Nuovo prospetto delle scienze economiche. This treatise was the point of ar-
rival for his political-economic thought. Internal liberalization and the
overcoming of a feudal system based on hierarchical orders had to coexist
with the regulatory action of the ‘administration’ in the economic field.
By regulatory action Gioia meant customs protections, with the aim of
safeguarding internal manufacturing and workers, and stimulating pro-
ductivity and attracting capital. Napoleon had already made an attempt
in this direction: in fact, the free port seemed to Gioia one of the most
suitable tools. In the fifth volume of the Nuovo Prospetto, Gioia therefore
addressed the question of the free ports, quoting Sismondi as the author-
ity supporting his positions (Gioia 1817, 5:219–22). Gioia reiterated that
free ports had a positive role both for international trade and for the in-
ternal markets. Always attentive to the political and institutional side,
he underlined their role for the management of public health and for the
control of epidemics, a task of fundamental importance inside the frame-
work of an efficient administration.
95
