La banca ateniese tra (neo)sostantivismo, new institutional economics e gift-giving

This paper reappraises the evidence for the Athenian bank by adopting the insights of new institutional economics, above all the recently developed theoretical model known as ‘neosubstantivism’. This reappraisal leads to a new understanding of the economic behaviour of the average Athenian banker and shows that every choice he made was affected by a profound interdependence between cultural values, maximization of profit and civic institutions.