Introduction

Introduction to the volume, which deals with the long and complex history of the idea and the techniques of gathering money for the public goals. Focusing on Western Europe, since the thirteenth-century credit innovations were closely tied to economic progress and had a lasting impact. Yet, credit and debt relations were not only developed among professional traders, they permeated nearly all aspects of life, schaping public policies, social relations, and people's identities. Adopting a broad chronological and geographical approach, this volume explores how the mobilization of capital in the pursuit of the public good took place in different contexts. Particular attention is devoted to government's ways of mobilizing money for the public good, attracting investors and nurturing trust; to early forms of 'crowdfunding' in order to support proto-welfare agencies; to the social dimension of small credit, charting the rise of institutions contrasting exploitative techniques and providing affordable credit at the lower end of social ladder.