Italy has a distinguished legacy in Bayesian statistics, anchored by the foundational work of Bruno de Finetti on subjective probability and exchangeability. SisBayes, the Bayesian section of the Società Italiana di Statistica (SIS), carries forward this tradition by bringing together Italian researchers who contribute to Bayesian theory, methodology, and applications.
The Italian Bayesian Tradition
The roots of the Italian contribution to Bayesian statistics run deep. Bruno de Finetti's operational definition of subjective probability, articulated in the 1930s, remains one of the intellectual pillars of the Bayesian paradigm. His representation theorem for exchangeable sequences provided a rigorous justification for Bayesian inference and influenced generations of statisticians worldwide. This heritage gives Italian Bayesian statistics a distinctive philosophical and theoretical character that SisBayes actively preserves and extends.
Bruno de Finetti's 1937 paper "La prévision: ses lois logiques, ses sources subjectives" established the foundations of subjective probability theory. The Italian Bayesian community, through SisBayes and associated academic programs, continues to build on this foundational work in areas including predictive inference, Bayesian nonparametrics, and decision theory.
Activities and Scope
SisBayes organizes workshops, seminars, and conference sessions within the broader framework of SIS meetings. These events bring together researchers from Italian universities—including longstanding centers of Bayesian activity in Milan, Rome, Florence, Turin, and Pavia—along with international collaborators. Topics span the full range of Bayesian statistics, from foundational issues in subjective probability to computational methods and applied modeling.
The group also plays a role in doctoral education, supporting summer schools and advanced courses in Bayesian methods at Italian universities. Many of Italy's doctoral programs in statistics feature strong Bayesian components, reflecting the influence of SisBayes members on curricula and research training.
International Connections
SisBayes maintains strong ties with ISBA and other international Bayesian organizations. Italian Bayesian statisticians have held prominent positions within ISBA, served on editorial boards of Bayesian Analysis and other journals, and organized international workshops and conferences. The group's international orientation ensures that Italian Bayesian research remains connected to global developments while contributing its distinctive perspectives.
"In Italy, Bayesian statistics is not an alternative methodology—it is part of the intellectual heritage of the discipline, going back to de Finetti and beyond."— Italian Bayesian statistician