Suchergebnisse

Toni Pierenkemper widmet sich der Geschichte des RWI seit Kriegsende. Hierzu gehört die Wiederbegründung und Neuorientierung des RWI (1945 bis 1952) ebenso wie die Rolle des Instituts im wirtschaftlichen Strukturwandel und in der neuen Wirtschafts- und Währungsordnung (1952 bis 1974), in den Krisen der folgenden Jahre (1974 bis 2000) und schließlich die Neuausrichtung im neuen Jahrtausend (2000 bis 2018). Die komplexen Beziehungen zwischen Wirtschaft, Politik und wirtschaftspolitischer Beratung werden dabei offenbar.

Abstract
As the Institute for Economic History at the GDR Academy of Science was being wound up following German reunion, the existence of the Economic History Yearbook was also threatened. Initially, its publication was only guaranteed for 1991, so in the early nineties the question was pertinent whether the Yearbook could be continued in a new form or whether it would be wound up too. As we know today, the Yearbook survived the "Wende" but with a new editorial and advisory board and a new concept. To mark the 25th anniversary of the new "Yearbook", the editors called upon Toni Pierenkemper – as both first and long-standing Managing Editor – to provide his perspective on the situation in which the Yearbook was relaunched. The following insights are essentially based on his correspondence as managing editor today archived in Bochum.

Abstract
Over the last 250 years economic thinking has undergone considerable changes. This article gives a brief overview of major developments and their respective representations within this scientific field. It then elaborates on the fact that the development of these different opinions – or approaches – is mainly due to changing historical circumstances. Economists try to solve contemporary problems; their aims, objects, and methods vary accordingly. However, this does not affect the relevance traditional approaches might have for modern economics. They can indeed prove to be very helpful in tackling today's economic problems, if economists manage to adjust them to actual circumstances. Within the history of economic thought those traditional concepts are preserved and assembled to enable contemporary scientists to learn from the past.

"Vollbeschäftigung als gänzliche Abwesenheit von Arbeitslosigkeit, wie in der DDR offiziell immer, in Westdeutschland lediglich in den 1960er Jahren erreicht, gilt noch häufig als Ziel der Arbeitsmarktpolitik, erweist sich aber als eine Chimäre." (Autorenreferat)

"Vollbeschäftigung als gänzliche Abwesenheit von Arbeitslosigkeit, wie in der DDR offiziell immer, in Westdeutschland lediglich in den 1960er Jahren erreicht, gilt noch häufig als Ziel der Arbeitsmarktpolitik, erweist sich aber als eine Chimäre." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Abstract
Contrary to the presumed perfect markets of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, the very concept of which seems logically flawed, numerous economic crises have been observed in the economic development of the last four hundred years. The following paper seeks to shed light on a specific type of crisis the speculative crisis and in particular its general pattern, from its starting point as an innovative business idea, to Boom and Crash, to exploring consequences, making use of examples from selected historical crises. This paper also seeks to demonstrate that speculations of this sort were also often associated with long term positive effects on economic growth. A complete prevention of dynamic processes of this sort, therefore, by means of comprehensive regulation, appears not only illusory, but also anti-progressive, although measures to limit the negative effects of crises as far as possible must, of course, be taken.

The following paper attempts to trace the construction of the standard employment contract in Germany from the beginning of the 19th century onwards. It was from this point in time that wage labour slowly came into being and later on developed more broadly. At first, state regulations were implemented to protect the workforce against exploitation by industrial entrepreneurs (laws on working hours, trading regulations etc.). Later on, as the state grew wealthier, the opportunity arose to create a social insurance system, to protect working people against basic risks. Finally, workers' and entrepreneurs' organisations participated in the market and collectively agreed on regulations of employment relationships. Alongside the consolidation of the welfare state, this type of employment was reinforced in Germany in the 20th century and finally developed into the modern concept of the standard employment contract. However, due to the forces of globalization and the dynamics of capitalist market economies, it seems that the standard employment contract has turned into an obstacle in the way of modern economy's progress. Its achievements are threatened in many ways: the future will seemingly be determined by increasing work flexibility, rising working hours, falling income and increasing unemployment rates, rendering the standard employment contract anachronistic and obsolete.

Der Merkantilismus, ein Hauptgegenstand der älteren dogmenhistorischen Literatur, lässt sich inhaltlich nur schwer definieren. Der Begriff bezeichnet weder ein historisches Wirtschaftssystem, noch eine einheitliche zeitgenössische Wirtschaftstheorie. Es handelt sich vielmehr um ein retrospektives Konstrukt der ökonomischen Dogmengeschichtsschreibung, die ihren Ausgangspunkt in der Kritik Adam Smiths am "mercantile system" seiner Zeit fand. Merkantilismus ist zunächst eine Sammelbezeichnung für die ökonomischen Ideen und Vorstellungen des 17. und frühen 18. Jahrhunderts. Allerdings zeichnet sich das ökonomische Denken dieser Zeit durch eine außerordentliche Vielfalt und Unterschiedlichkeit aus. Auch entstanden unterscheidbare nationale "Schulen", die, selbst wiederum uneinheitlich, starken Veränderungen unterlagen. Zu Recht wurden den spezifischen nationalen Ausprägungen sogar unterschiedliche Bezeichnungen verliehen. . ; Studie se zabývá teorií a praxí merkantilismu v Prusku v éøe Fridricha II. V úvodu autor upozornil na problematiènost užívaného pojmu merkantilismus, který nepøedstavoval ani ucelený hospodáøský systémem ani hospodáøskou teorií, ale jednalo se o umìlý konstrukt liberálních ekonomických teoretikù z pøelomu 17. a 18. století. Tato nejednoznaènost umožnila vytvoøení rùzných merkantilistických škol a pøístupù, které se shodly jen na silné pozici státu v hospodáøské oblasti. Velký prostor autor vìnuje provádìní merkantilistické politiky v období vlády Fridricha II. Potvrzuje hypotézu, že Fridrich II. v mnohém jen navázal na své pøedchùdce a nesáhl k nìjaké zásadní zmìnì státní politiky. Navíc dlouholetá fascinace Fridricha II. francouzským dvorem se podepsala také na postupném hospodáøském zaostávání Pruska za vyspìlými evropskými státy. To byl jeden z hlavních dùvodù, proè autor hodnotí hospodáøskou politiku Fridricha II. jako neúspìšnou. ; The study deals with the theory and praxis of mercantilism in Prussia during the era of Frederic II. At the beginning the author drew the attention to the definition of the term mercantilism which represented neither comprehensive economic system nor economic theory but artificial construct of the liberal economic theoreticians at the break of the 17th and 18th centuries. This ambiguity enabled creation of the different mercantilist schools and approaches agreeing only on the strong position of the state in economic sphere. The attention is set to the practising of the mercantilist policy during government of Frederic II. The author confirms the hypothesis that Frederic II in many respects continued in the policy of his predecessor and he did not come up to the fundamental change of the state policy. Moreover his long-time persistence in outmoded concepts was one of the reasons why Prussia got economically behind the advanced European states. This is also one of the main reasons why the author assesses the economic policy of Frederic II as unsuccessful.