Political Order and Economic Freedom in the Thought of Melchiorre Delfico Civil Economy from a Social Market Economy Perspective

This paper is an attempt to present some key passages of Delfico’s economic thought. We have considered it appropriate to focus chiefly on the Memoria sul libero commercio of 1797 and on the Ragionamento sulle carestie of 1818. Beginning with the Memoria and the Ragionamento, we have sought to study in depth those concepts which make the academic production of the philosopher from Teramo an example of how his economic thought, which was certainly not systematic, was alert to the great debates of the time and the bearer of appropriate insights which we find again in the course of the history of thought that is associated with the fathers of the study of politics and economics. These are mostly insights capable of representing still today an important point of reference in the discernment of political activity that is inspired by a reforming and liberal perspective from a Social Market Economy and rule-based liberalism point of view.