Pauperism in the Age of Enlightenment: the experience of public institutions in Southern Italy

During the course of XVIII century, there was a deep change in European economy and culture. The affirmation of the Enlightenment’s principles and the changes in the productive and transport sectors caused profound consequences in the social sphere, including the reform of the models of care to poverty. In particular, this change is evident in Southern Italy, where the new faith in reason puts in jeopardy the Pope’s authority and the principles of Christianity, including that of poverty as a value and that of alms as a symbol of Christian charity. From the discussion on the role of the poor in society comes a new model of care, aimed at the rehabilitation of people able to work, so they become a resource for the economic development of nations, and to confine those considered a danger to community. This paper aims to show, through the analysis of financial reports, the public model of care of pauperism in the Southern Italy, and how it was financed.