Giacinto Dragonetti

[1] In it, Dragonetti advances a theory of action based on awarding virtues, as compared to the incentives/punishment-based approach in modern economics.

[2] In the introduction to the treatise, Dragonetti states "Men have made millions of laws to punish crimes, and they haven't even established one to reward virtues".

[1] Dragonetti was born in L'Aquila to an old noble family, later moving to Rome and then to Naples in 1760.

[2] His A Treatise on Virtues and Rewards, published two years after Cesare Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments, met with success and was translated into French, English, Russian and Spanish.

[1] His treatise on virtues was evidently read by Thomas Paine, who quotes "that wise observer of government, Dragonetti" in both Common Sense and a 1792 pamphlet.