Le blé du pape : système annonaire et logiques économiques à Rome à l'époque moderne

The pope's grain: The Annona system and the economic logic in early modern Rome. M. Martinat. The goal of this article is to highlight the link between a particular configuration of the grain market in 16th and 17th century Rome and the fundamental principles of the scholastic economy. Two features of this market are apparent: a) the social division of two commercial circuits and b) the strong participation of the papal administration in the buying and selling of grain. This appears to be a particular response, on the part of the Roman authorities, to the scholastic theologians' view that commercial transactions should comply with the social structure. As a result, the price of grain listed on the market reflects the relative hierarchical position of the buyers and sellers within the community rather than the impersonal forces of supply and demand. The neoclassical, autoregulatory model of the market, often used mechanically by historians, shows itself to be somewhat inadequate as an analytical tool of these kinds of economic institutions which were common in early modern Europe.Martinat Monica. Le blé du pape : système annonaire et logiques économiques à Rome à l'époque moderne. In: Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 54ᵉ année, N. 1, 1999. pp. 219-244