“Corporate Social Responsibility” avant la lettre? Welche Narrative unternehmerischer Verantwortung hat die deutschsprachige Volkswirtschaftslehre im 20. Jahrhundert vermittelt?

This paper presents different narratives regarding social responsibility of firms and entrepreneurs, which were communicated by leading economists and textbooks in 20th century Germany, and their links to the Social Market Economy after World War II. To this end, approaches of the Younger Historical School, Ordo-Liberalism, and Schumpeter are contrasted with opinions based on neo-classical and Keynesian theories, gaining influence in the course of the second half of the 20th century. As a result, it is shown that especially in the first half of the 20th century several economists brought up far-reaching proposals relating to the responsibility of companies and entrepreneurs with regard to social and governance questions and to innovation in technology and society. Though most of these ideas disappeared from economic theory during the following decades, they could still enrich recent discussions on Corporate Social Responsibility.