The Moral Economy analyzes the nexus of poverty, credit, and trust in early modern Europe.

Laurence Fontaine is Director of Research at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris. Formerly a professor in the History and Civilization Department at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, she has published many books and articles in major European journals.

Introduction; Prologue; 1. Poverty, credit and social networks; 2. Peasants and debt logic; 3. The elite and debt logic; 4. Urban financial microcircuits; 5. Women's economic spheres and credit; 6. Between bank and assistance: setting up pawnshops; 7. The battle of prohibitions against usury; 8. Political economies and cultures of exchange; 9. Political economy and exchange practices; 10. Building trust; Conclusion.