Federico Caffè (born 6 January 1914; disappeared 15 April 1987; declared dead 30 October 1998) was a notable Italian economist from the Keynesian School.

Caffè mentored several generations of Italian economists, many of whom rose to senior positions in academia, political life and public administration.

In different capacities he mentored the former Governor of the Bank of Italy, and of the ECB President, and Italian incumbent Prime Minister Professor Mario Draghi, the current Governor of the Bank of Italy, Ignazio Visco, the planning theorist Franco Archibugi, the welfare economist Bruno Amoroso, the labour economist Ezio Tarantelli, killed by the Red Brigades in 1985 in the courtyard of the Faculty of Economics in Rome where they taught, the former President of the Italian Statistical Office Guido M. Rey, the former President of the Italian Statistical Office and incumbent Minister for Infrastructures Enrico Giovannini, the Economic policy's theorist Nicola Acocella, the neo-ricardian economist Fernando Vianello and economist of innovation Daniele Archibugi.

One of his books, Lezioni di politica economica (Lectures on Economic Policy), is widely regarded as the complete summary of his ideas.

He was a strong critic of free trade, avowedly Keynesian in inspiration, and also very interested in the Scandinavian welfare model.