Introduction -- Origin and purposes of the second bank -- The second bank's branch network and the state banking system -- The second bank and the "exchanges" : conquering space -- The "production" of monetary stability -- The second bank's specie market operations -- Conclusion

I empirically investigate the effect of social capital on family control in a comprehensive data set from Italy. Exploiting historically-driven variations in social capital provided by the experience of self-government during the Middle Ages, I find that when social capital is weak, family...