Federico Caffè

Federico Caffè (born 6 January 1914; disappeared 15 April 1987; declared dead 30 October 1998) was a notable Italian economist from the "Keynesian School".

Caffè graduated in Business Sciences from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1936. He started his career working at the Bank of Italy, later becoming a teacher at the University of Messina. From 1959 he taught Economic and Financial Policy at the University of Rome La Sapienza, forming several generations of economists in what is the largest university in Italy.

Caffè mentored several generations of Italian economists, many of whom rose to senior positions in academia, political life and public administration.

In different capacities he mentored the former Governor of the Bank of Italy, and the ECB President, Professor Mario Draghi, the current Governor of the Bank of Italy, Ignazio Visco, the welfare economist Bruno Amoroso, the labour economist Ezio Tarantelli, killed by the Red Brigades in 1985 in the courtyard of the Faculty of Economics in Rome where they taught, the former President of the Italian Statistical Office Guido M. Rey, the former President of the Italian Statistical Office and Minister for Welfare Enrico Giovannini, the Economic policy's international expert Nicola Acocella, the neo-ricardian economist Fernando Vianello and economist of innovation Daniele Archibugi.

Caffè was particularly interested in economic policy and welfare, especially in their social dimensions. One of his books, Lezioni di politica economica (Lectures on Economic Policy), is widely regarded as the complete summary of his ideas. He was a strong critic of free trade, avowedly Keynesian in inspiration, and also very interested in the Scandinavian welfare model.

On 15 April 1987 Caffè suddenly disappeared, shortly after having quit university teaching. He was "officially declared dead" on 30 October 1998. The mystery involved in his death has not been revealed. He may have committed suicide, but he may also have decided to disappear to an unknown location.

Several institutions have been named after him, including the Faculty of Economics of the University of Rome III, the Roskilde University Centre for Southern European Studies and the Library of the Department of Economics of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the Sapienza University of Rome. The Aula Magna of Pescara University is called Federico Caffè also. The Sapienza University of Rome also organizes annual conference that have been held by some of the most significant economists of our age. Many of the lectures have been published in a series of the Cambridge University Press.

• Acocella, N. (5th edition ed.), "F. Caffé, Lezioni di politica economica", Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, 1990, ISBN 978-88-339-5457-8.
• Acocella, N., "In difesa del welfare state, dieci anni dopo", in: Acocella, N. & Rey, G. M. & Tiberi, M. (eds), "Saggi di politica economica in onore di Federico Caffè", vol. III, Franco Angeli, Milano, 1999.
• Daniele Archibugi, Federico Caffè, solitario maestro, Micromega, n. 2, (1991)
• Ermanno Rea, L'ultima lezione, Einaudi, Turin (1992)
• Riccardo Faucci, "L'economia per frammenti di Federico Caffè", Rivista italiana degli economisti, n. 3 (2002)
• Bruno Amoroso, La stanza rossa - Riflessioni scandinave di Federico Caffè, Edizioni Città Aperta, Troina (Enna), (2004)
• Giuseppe Amari (editor), Federico Caffè: un economista per il nostro tempo, Roma, Ediesse, 2009. ISBN 978-88-230-1298-1