Luigi Einaudi: economist, statesman, and public intellectual - A portrait of an eminent European

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Luigi Einaudi, this lecture will reflect on his legacy for Europe today. Economist, professor and senator before the Second World War governor of the Bank of Italy (1945-1948) and minister of the budget (1947-1948), after the war Einaudi was also the first president of the Italian Republic (1948-1955). In these capacities he was a strong advocate of European integration: he even imagined a common currency and a central bank. The lecture will look at three points: first, Einaudi’s life and work; second, three sides of Einaudi’s personality: the liberal economist, the pragmatic statesman, and the public intellectual; third, and last, his intellectual legacy in the context of the challenges that Europe is facing today. For him, economic integration was important, but never sufficient per sé, as it should always be framed within a broad political vision. He was a father of European political economy. He insisted on the need to provide public good, such as common defence, to strenghten Europe’s position in the world.