Working Papers

Early Modern Academies, Universities, and Economic Growth (Job Market Paper) LIDAM Discussion Paper - 2024/12

Abstract. Knowledge production is central to modern economic growth, but what role did it play in the past? Despite growing interest in the history of human capital, we still know little about how knowledge shaped long-term development in pre-industrial societies. This paper explores the contribution of academies—dynamic, scientifically oriented institutions that emerged across Europe between 1650 and 1800. Drawing on newly assembled data and employing advanced difference-in-differences methods, I show that academies contributed to sustained urban growth. Using individual-level data on scholars, I further demonstrate that while literary academies had limited long-term effects, scientific academies led to persistent gains. I also document positive spillovers: cities near academies experienced faster growth, and the presence of academies improved the quality of existing universities. These findings provide the first empirical evidence of the pivotal role scientific academies played in shaping Europe’s long-run economic development.

Flora, Cosmos, Salvatio: Pre-modern Academic Institutions and the Spread of Ideas (with David de la Croix, and Rossana Scebba) CEPR Discussion paper DP20569

Abstract. While good ideas can emerge anywhere, it takes a community to develop and disseminate them. In premodern Europe (1084-1793), there were approximately 200 universities and 150 academies of sciences, which were home to thousands of scholars and created an extensive network of intellectual exchange. By reconstructing interpersonal connections that were made via institutional affiliations, we demonstrate how the European academic landscape facilitated the diffusion of ideas and led cities to develop: examples include botanic gardens, astronomical observatories, and Protestantism. Counterfactual simulations reveal that both universities and academies played crucial roles, with academies being particularly effective at connecting distant parts of the network. Moreover, we show that the diffusion of ideas through the network is remarkably resilient, even if we remove key regions such as France or the British Isles. In Europe, ideas gain prominence when they are channeled effectively by powerful institutions.

Publications

Doctoral Dissertation

Human Capital and Knowledge Networks - Market Forces, Scientific Academies, and the Spread of Ideas in Early Modern Europe

Abstract. This thesis explores the long-term role of knowledge and human capital in shaping Europe’s economic development from 1000 CE to the present. While modern economies rely increasingly on engineers and entrepreneurs, this work adopts a historical lens to investigate how universities, scientific academies, and knowledge networks contributed to growth in earlier periods. The first chapter examines the Italian academic labor market, revealing patterns of job mobility, merit-based sorting, and institutional quality—both today and historically. The second chapter studies the emergence of scientific academies before 1800, showing how these institutions not only promoted economically productive talent but also drove complementary reforms in co-located universities. The final chapter analyzes pre-modern academic networks to trace the spread of ideas across institutions, leveraging affiliation data to simulate knowledge diffusion and highlight institutional influence. Through new datasets and empirical methods, this thesis offers novel insights into the historical foundations of modern knowledge economies.

RETE - Repertorium Eruditorum Totius Europae

RETE is a collection of data papers, summarizing information on the scholars who taught at premodern European universities or were members of scientific academies. The period covered goes from the emergence of the first universities (1000CE) to the eve of the Industrial Revolution (1800CE).

• 2024

  • Gualandris, Tifenn, Vitale, Mara, and Zanardello, Chiara. Scholars and Literati at the Agiati Academy in Rovereto (1750–1800). DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v13i0/ARovereto

  • Clément, Blandine, and Zanardello, Chiara. Scholars and Literati at the Royal Naval Academy of France in Brest (1752–1793). DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v13i0/ABrest

  • Zanardello, Chiara. Scholars and Literati at the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Arras (1737–1793).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v12i0/Arras

• 2023

  • Clément, Blandine, and Zanardello, Chiara. Scholars and Literati at the Academy of Georgofili (1753 – 1800).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v11i0/AGeorgofili

  • de la Croix, David, and Zanardello, Chiara. Scholars and Literati at the University of Modena (1175–1800).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v9i0/UModena

  • Zanardello, Chiara. Literati and Scholars at the Dissonanti Academy in Modena (1680-1800).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v9i0/AModena

  • de la Croix, David, and Zanardello, Chiara. Scholars at the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris (1666-1793).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v9i0/ASc

• 2022

  • Zanardello, Chiara. Scholars and Literati at the Philosophical Society of Oxford (1651–1690).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v8i0/AOxford

  • Rolla, Cecilia, and Zanardello, Chiara Scholars and Literati at the Academy of Sciences of Bologna (1714–1800).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v7i0/ABologna

  • Zanardello, Chiara Scholars and Literati at the University of Turin (1404–1800).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v7i0/UTurin

• 2021
  • de la Croix, David, and Zanardello, Chiara Scholars and Literati at the Academy of Sciences of Turin (1757–1800).
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/rete.v5i0/ATurin