Epicarmo Corbino
Epicarmo Corbino | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1890 Augusta, Sicily, Italy |
| Died | 1984 Naples, Italy |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, university professor, politician |
| Years active | 1923–1965 |
| Known for | Minister of Industry and Commerce (1944), Minister of Treasury (1945–1946), president of Banco di Napoli (1959–1965) |
Epicarmo Corbino (1890–1984) was a distinguished Italian economist and university professor who held brief tenures as minister of industry and minister of treasury during the 1940s. He was recognized as a leading authority in Italian economic thought.
Biography
Corbino was born in 1890 in Augusta, Sicily and was the sibling of Orso Mario Corbino, who served within the Mussolini administrations.
In 1923, he secured a professorship at the University of Naples. His political career included a short period as minister of industry and commerce in the Salerno government between February and April 1944. Subsequently, he held the position of minister of treasury under Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi from December 1945 until his resignation in September 1946. Corbino also participated as a member of both the National Council and the Constituent Assembly representing the Liberal Party until 1953.
Ahead of the 1953 elections, he departed from the Liberal Party to establish and lead the National Democratic Alliance, working alongside former Prime Minister Ferruccio Parri. Despite their efforts, the party did not achieve parliamentary representation.
Between 1959 and 1965, Corbino served as president of the Banco di Napoli. He died in Naples in 1984.
Views and work
Corbino belonged to the classical economic tradition alongside contemporaries such as Marcello Soleri, Pietro Campilli, Luigi Einaudi, and Gustavo Del Vecchio. He aligned with the economic principles advocated by British economist Alfred Marshall and was a vigorous proponent of free enterprise. During Italy’s Fascist era, Corbino, along with fellow liberal economists like Attilio Cabiati, Edoardo Giretti, and Luigi Einaudi, consciously distanced themselves from the regime.
His scholarly contributions include numerous publications, and he later emerged as a pioneer in environmental studies within Italy, highlighting his early engagement with ecological concerns.