In pre-modern societies pawnbroking was the most common form of raising money and often the only one available to people from the lower rungs of the social ladder. The appearance of pawnshops in Medieval Europe was an attempt to formalize microcredit. Ethical and social concerns induced the townships of Renaissance Italy to promote community based credit bodies (Monti di pietà) to assist and protect borrowers. These public pawn banks were a remarkable innovation yet their diffusion was far from universal. In most of Europe and in Asia more business oriented forms of pawnbroking prevailed, yet ethical concerns led to various form of regulations and, at times, the establishment of public bodies to limit interest charges and to prevent predatory practices.
M. Carboni (2014). Pawnbrokers and Pawnbroking in Pre-Modern Societies: a Comparative Approach. REKISHI HYORON, 773(9), 49-61.
Pawnbrokers and Pawnbroking in Pre-Modern Societies: a Comparative Approach
CARBONI, MAURO
2014
Abstract
In pre-modern societies pawnbroking was the most common form of raising money and often the only one available to people from the lower rungs of the social ladder. The appearance of pawnshops in Medieval Europe was an attempt to formalize microcredit. Ethical and social concerns induced the townships of Renaissance Italy to promote community based credit bodies (Monti di pietà) to assist and protect borrowers. These public pawn banks were a remarkable innovation yet their diffusion was far from universal. In most of Europe and in Asia more business oriented forms of pawnbroking prevailed, yet ethical concerns led to various form of regulations and, at times, the establishment of public bodies to limit interest charges and to prevent predatory practices.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.