Giuseppe Barbero (born 20 April 1927) is an Italian economist and sociologist, specialized in the agricultural sector.
Born in Dronero, Barbero graduated with a degree in agricultural sciences in 1949 from the University of Turin. He pursued graduate study in agricultural economics from the University of California, Berkeley (USA) in 1952.
Professor emeritus of economic sociology at the Sapienza University of Rome he was formerly also professor at the University of Siena (1966-1977) and president of the Italian National Institute for Agricultural Economics (INEA) from January 1976 to February 1991. [1]
He has worked, among others, for FAO, mainly in Latin America, [2] and is one of the founders of the European Review of Agricultural Economics and first president of the European Association of Agricultural Economists (1973-1993).
His career and fields of interest can be divided into four periods: [3]
In summary, his research interests cover a number of important issues: economic development (economics of irrigation, land reform, productivity), the construction of the European Community/Union, conflicts in international trade, world food problems, [6] the effects of globalization on European agriculture, rural development issues and land uses. In his long career as an expert in the fields of agricultural policy, he has participated actively in international debate, mostly with regard to the structural reforms that would boost the social economic transformation of rural Europe after the second world war.
He contributed to underlining the connections between agricultural economics, land planning, social sciences and history. [7]