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Was Walter Eucken a proponent of authoritarian liberalism?

Author

Listed:
  • Ekkehard A. Köhler

    (University of Siegen)

  • Daniel Nientiedt

    (New York University)

Abstract

The paper asks whether Walter Eucken, the founder of German ordoliberalism, should be considered to be a proponent of authoritarian liberalism. That term originally refers to a proposal for economic liberalization advanced by Carl Schmitt in 1932. Authoritarian liberalism also could be taken to mean that Eucken favors the rule of law and economic freedoms, but rejects democratic decision making. Both possible meanings are considered. We show that Eucken is not a representative of authoritarian liberalism in either sense of the term. While Eucken and Schmitt offer similar descriptions of the entanglement of state and economy in Weimar Germany, their proposed solutions are rather different. With regard to the second meaning, we argue that Eucken’s critique of democracy refers to two universally recognized problems of democratic decision making, namely interest group influence and the tyranny of the majority.

Suggested Citation

  • Ekkehard A. Köhler & Daniel Nientiedt, 2023. "Was Walter Eucken a proponent of authoritarian liberalism?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 195(3), pages 363-376, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:195:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s11127-021-00876-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-021-00876-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lars P. Feld & Daniel Nientiedt, 2023. "The Freiburg School and the Virginia School: introduction to the special issue," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 195(3), pages 193-196, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Liberalism; Democracy; Ordoliberalism; Social market economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B20 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - General
    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • H10 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - General
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior

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