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Walter Eucken’s place in the history of ideas

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  • Nils Goldschmidt

Abstract

German neoliberalism, as represented by the so called Freiburg School, was mainly influenced by the economist Walter Eucken. Eucken’s economic methodology can only be understood if placed in the context of the German philosophical and sociological debate of that time. The revelation of these connections is at the center of this paper. To this purpose, first, the influence of Max Weber and of his ideal typical approach will be discussed. Second, the role played by Walter Eucken’s father, the philosopher Rudolf Eucken and the significance of the Freiburg phenomenologist Edmund Husserl for the concept of ordoliberalism will be analyzed. Third, it will be shown that Eucken’s method is set against all relativist currents and sustained by the hope of discovering the “realm of truth” (Edmund Husserl) in economics as well. On this basis, Eucken’s oeuvre can be characterized by the aspects of order, freedom and truthfulness. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Nils Goldschmidt, 2013. "Walter Eucken’s place in the history of ideas," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 26(2), pages 127-147, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:revaec:v:26:y:2013:i:2:p:127-147
    DOI: 10.1007/s11138-013-0222-z
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    1. Bruce Caldwell, 2001. "There Really Was a German Historical School of Economics: A Comment on Heath Pearson," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 33(3), pages 649-654, Fall.
    2. Goldschmidt, Nils & Rauchenschwandtner, Hermann, 2007. "The Philosophy of Social Market Economy: Michel Foucault's Analysis of Ordoliberalism," Freiburg Discussion Papers on Constitutional Economics 07/4, Walter Eucken Institut e.V..
    3. Nils Goldschmidt & Michael Wohlgemuth, 2008. "Social Market Economy: origins, meanings and interpretations," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 261-276, September.
    4. Vanberg, Viktor J., 2005. "Market and state: the perspective of constitutional political economy," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 23-49, June.
    5. Rainer Klump & Manuel Wörsdörfer, 2011. "On the affiliation of phenomenology and ordoliberalism: Links between Edmund Husserl, Rudolf and Walter Eucken," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 551-578, October.
    6. Heath Pearson, 1999. "Was There Really a German Historical School of Economics?," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 31(3), pages 547-562, Fall.
    7. Gerold Blumle & Nils Goldschmidt, 2006. "From economic stability to social order: The debate about business cycle theory in the 1920s and its relevance for the development of theories of social order by Lowe, Hayek and Eucken," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 543-570.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kolev, Stefan & Köhler, Ekkehard A., 2021. "Transatlantic Roads to Mont Pèlerin: "Old Chicago" and Freiburg in a World of Disintegrating Orders," Working Papers 309, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    2. Kolev, Stefan, 2019. "Antipathy for Heidelberg, sympathy for Freiburg? Vincent Ostrom on Max Weber, Walter Eucken, and the compound history of order," Freiburg Discussion Papers on Constitutional Economics 19/6, Walter Eucken Institut e.V..
    3. Dörr Julian, 2015. "Der verkannte Ludwig Erhard? Anmerkungen zum Buch von Horst Friedrich Wünsche," ORDO. Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 66(1), pages 303-310, January.
    4. Roland Fritz & Nils Goldschmidt & Matthias Störring, 2023. "Contextual liberalism: the ordoliberal approach to private vices and public benefits," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 195(3), pages 301-322, June.
    5. Kolev, Stefan, 2024. "When Liberty Presupposes Order: F. A. Hayek’S Contextual Ordoliberalism," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(2), pages 288-311, June.
    6. Stefano Figuera & Andrea Pacella, 2021. "La teoria euckeniana della moneta: spunti per una riflessione critica (Eucken's theory of money: ideas for critical reflection)," Moneta e Credito, Economia civile, vol. 74(296), pages 275-299.
    7. Stefan Kolev & Nils Goldschmidt & Jan-Otmar Hesse, 2020. "Debating liberalism: Walter Eucken, F. A. Hayek and the early history of the Mont Pèlerin Society," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 433-463, December.
    8. Kolev, Stefan & Goldschmidt, Nils & Hesse, Jan-Otmar, 2014. "Walter Eucken's role in the early history of the Mont Pèlerin Society," Freiburg Discussion Papers on Constitutional Economics 14/02, Walter Eucken Institut e.V..

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Neoliberalism; Freiburg school; Methodology; Phenomenology; Philosophy and economics; A12; B25; B41; D02;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • B25 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Austrian; Stockholm School
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact

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