I.3°° - The Economic Accounts of Italy. The Value Added for 1891, 1938, 1951edited by Guido M. Rey. Writings of: Giovanni Federico, Stefano Fenoaltea, Carlo Bardini, Vera Zamagni and Patrizia Battilani

This volume is a further contribution to the revision of the historical series of Italy's national accounts; it collects the estimates of sectoral value added for agriculture, industry and services, in 1891, 1938, 1951, as well as some updates of the 1911 estimates already published in the Bank of Italy's "Collana storica". It makes extensive use of historical statistical documentation, mainly Census data, with suitable adjustments. The estimates for 1891 constitute an original contribution to the debate on the economic dynamics of that period which until now has been based on poor and often partial estimates. By scrolling through the data published in this volume, it is possible to assess the evolution of Italy's production system at a glance. The data also convey the significant changes in products and production processes resulting from technological progress, the effects of industrial policies, the change in consumption structure induced by increase in income, the reduced importance of self-consumption as a consequence of the transition from a rural to an industrial economy; finally the regional reallocation of the population and of production activities are also documented.