[on behalf of ESHET, I send an obituary of Paolo Sylos Labini,    
elected as Honorary Member of the society. Daniele Besomi]  
  
Paolo Sylos Labini passed away on December 7th, 2005, aged  85.     
Emeritus Professor at the University La Sapienza (Rome) and one of    
the most eminent economists in the world, he was known for his    
seminal theory of oligopoly and many other contributions. His book    
Oligopolio e progresso tecnico (1956) is a milestone in the history    
of economics. He has left us many  important studies about economic    
development and its determinants, nearly all of them translated into    
English. His last book, published a few months ago, goes back to his    
preferred theme of development  and technical progress and to his    
preferred approach: the history of economics as a way to understand    
present problems. Its title is: Torniamo ai classici. Produttivite    
del lavoro, progresso tecnico e sviluppo economico, Roma-Bari:    
Laterza, 2005 (Let's go back to the Classics. Labour productivity,    
technical progress and economic development).  
  
After graduation, Sylos Labini studied at Harvard, with Joseph    
Schumpeter, and in Cambridge (UK); he was member of some of the most    
prestigious academies and scientific associations, in Italy (among    
which the Accademia dei Lincei ) and in the world (among which the    
American Economic Association). He also was awarded many prestigious    
scientific prizes, and  was repeatedly called to advise the Italian    
government and other policy institutions.  
  
At the last ESHET Conference, in Stirling, the Council  awarded him    
the title of Honorary Member, with the following motivation:  
"Sylos Labini is an eminent scholar of economics always interested in    
the history of economics. His studies on oligopolistic markets, on    
development and underdevelopment, and on social classes cannot be    
really detached from his interests in the Classical school, in the    
value theory, in the economics of underdevelopment and especially in    
Adam Smith�s thought. Beside giving us a deep insight in these    
problems, Sylos Labini has thought us a scientific approach free from    
ideologies, independent but also socially engaged."  
  
When I officially informed him of the award,  his reaction was:  
"I  am really pleased about  this title of Honorary Member of ESHET.    
Please convey to the Council and the Executive Committee my feelings    
of real happiness. It will be a great pleasure for me to attend the    
Dinner in Porto, provided that I am still around!" (my translation    
from Italian).  
  
             Probably he felt his end near, but hinted at it with    
much sobriety. He was disenchanted with human nature and social    
injustice, and nevertheless passionately fought for social    
development and  justice at a scientific and  a civic level. In times    
dominated by ideologies, even in economics, he stood for an empirical    
approach, looking for rational ways to promote economic development    
and defending the often neglected role of  technical progress. He did    
not like grand theories about human nature. He preferred to "measure"    
factors of production and cultural attitudes, without losing sight of    
the social and moral values.  This is how he repeatedly approached    
issues like  social classes in Italy, underdevelopment, industrial    
relations and  the development of Southern Italy.  
  
             The  language of his research  was  simple and    
straightforward; the concepts were neat and clear, free from any    
rhetoric. Thanks to his disinterested commitment to science and to    
society, Paolo Sylos Labini was exceptionally able to stir  human    
sympathy. His life is a remarkable example of  how  scientific    
engagement and civic commitment can be combined without prejudicing     
their reciprocal independence.  
  
Cosimo Perrotta