The German Historical School of Economics,that exerted a strong influence on the German-speaking world throughout the 19th century, was a reaction to rationalism and enlighenment and challenged the British classical economics. It also attacked neo-classical economics and Marxian economics that were emerging descendants of the Classical Economists. The Historical School was characterised by its emphasis on historical and ethical methods, and just for this reason it has been misunderstood by mainstream economics as an unscientific standpoint. However, with the increasing acceptance of evolutionary and institutional thinking among economists, general interest in the German Historical School has risen steadily during the past decade. This book clarifies the approach of the German Historical School by the reconstruction of their achievements in terms of rational and historical context.
To trace the development and transformation of their ideas, this book covers not only the leading figures of the school such as Adam Muller, Wilhelm Roscher, Karl Knies, Lujo Brentano, Gustav von Schmoller and Werner Sombart, but also those who are proved to be closely related to the thought of the Historical School in different ways such as Carl Menger, Anton Menger, Friedrich von Wieser, Max Weber, Joseph Schumpteter, Tokuzo Fukuda, Walter Eucken, Wilhelm Ropke and Alfred Muller-Armack. Yuichi Shionoya, Hitosubashi University, Japan, Tetsushi Harada, Yokkaichi University, Japan, Yukihiro Ikeda, Keio University, Japan, Jun Kobayashi, Rikkyo University, Japa
Author Biography:
Yuichi Shionoya is President of The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Tokyo and Professor Emeritus, Hitosubashi University.