Urbanizzazione e sviluppo economico nel mondo preindustriale: il ruolo di Genova dall'Età comunale al crepuscolo della Repubblica

The article aims to analyze the connections between urbanization and economic development in the pre-industrial world. To this end, a novel dataset on urbanization and population in the Republic of Genoa in the period 1300-1800 was constructed. The ‘depth’ of the dataset, which spans five centuries of urban and population development, makes it possible to examine otherwise invisible long-term dynamics. This analysis reveals how the urban and economic development of preindustrial Liguria follows a trajectory that starts from the almost unchallenged dominance of the ‘city-state’ Genoa and ends with the emergence of a moderately polycentric system composed of twelve urban centers. This gradual loosening of Genoese hegemony over the Ligurian territory can be decoded as the necessary condition for the territories of the former Republic of Genoa to enter the era of modern economic growth.