Managing Information in the Roman Economy

Cristina Rosillo-López is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Spain. She specializes in Late Republican politics and Roman Economy. She has worked on corruption, public opinion, rhetoric, and the real estate market in ancient Rome. Marta García Morcillo is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Roehampton, UK. She specializes in the Roman Economy. Her published work has revolved around the study of Roman financial activities and trade, with special focus on sales and auctions. She has also worked on gift giving and on economic mentalities in authors such as Cicero, Strabo and Pliny the Elder.

1. Asymmetric Information and the Roman Economy: Introduction.- 2. Economics and Information: Asymmetries, Uncertainties and Risks.- Part 1: Information Management.- 3.  Managing Economic Public Information in Rome: the Aerarium as Central Archive of the Roman Republic.- 4. Managing Uncertainty and Asymmetric Information in Roman Auctions.- Part 2: The Real Estate and Land Property Market.- 5. Asymmetric Information, ager publicus and the Roman Land Market in the Second Century BC.- 6. Domum pestilentem vendo: Real Estate Market and Information Asymmetry in the Roman World.- 7. Marriage and Asymmetric Information on the Real Estate Market in Roman Egypt.- Part 3: The Labour Market.- 8. Information Asymmetry and the Roman Labour Market.- 9. Asymmetric information and adverse selection in the Roman slave market: the limits of legal remedy.- Part 4: Trade and Financial Markets.- 10. Information Landscapes and Economic Practice in the Roman World.- 11. Roman Professional collegia andEconomic Control. A Monopoly of Information?.- 12. A case of Arbitrage in a Worldwide Trade: Roman Coins in India.- 13. Information Governance in Roman Finance.- 14.Conclusions.

"The book not only avoids generating unnecessary and unhelpful controversy, but is also ultimately successful in its aim to identify and analyse information asymmetries in a range of areas, most notably Roman real estate markets, labour and aspects of trade. ... this volume has the potential to introduce one of NIE's most practical concepts to a wider audience of students and researchers - including those who do not think of themselves as economic historians. Specialists will find the book's contents informed and engaging." (Colin P Elliott, The Classical Review, Vol. 72 (1), 2022)

“The book not only avoids generating unnecessary and unhelpful controversy, but is also ultimately successful in its aim to identify and analyse information asymmetries in a range of areas, most notably Roman real estate markets, labour and aspects of trade. … this volume has the potential to introduce one of NIE’s most practical concepts to a wider audience of students and researchers – including those who do not think of themselves as economic historians. Specialists will find the book’s contents informed and engaging.” (Colin P Elliott, The Classical Review, Vol. 72 (1), 2022)