Milanese official, Enlightenment philosopher and one of the fathers of utilitarianism. With Pietro Verri, Beccaria founded the "Società dei Pugni" in 1761, a discussion group concentrating on public policy and economics. From 1764 to 1766, the group published the great Enlightenment journal, Il Caffè, where Beccaria published some of his most famous pieces. Beccaria was one of the main developers of the Italian tradition in economics, combining a utilitarian theory of statecraft and a demand-and-supply theory of value (anticipating the Marginalist Revolution).
In his 1762 piece, Beccaria argued that the value of goods is in inverse proportion to their quantity and the number of sellers and in direct proportion of competing buyers, of the tax, of the labor force and of the importance of transport (a formula later taken up by Verri). His 1764 piece was an analysis of the relationship between tariffs and smuggling. Beccaria argued that higher duties increase the incentive to smuggle, thereby leading to a reduction in tariff revenue. His Elementi (written in 1769, but published only in 1804), were very much influenced by Cantillon.
Beccaria's famous 1764 treatise on crime argued that the punishment of criminals should be assessed according to the amount of damage to "social welfare", measured in terms of the utilitarian "greatest happiness for the greatest number" principle. On this criteria, he argued against capital punishment and ill-treatment of prisoners. Jeremy Bentham was very much influenced by Beccaria's work.
Major Works of Cesare Beccaria
Resources on Cesare Beccaria