Historicism and Organicism in Economics: The Evolution of Thought

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Concept and Its Matrix

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 1-8

3. Predecessors of German Historicism

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 9-14

4. Phenomenon “Historical School”

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 15-20

5. The “Older” Historical School

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 21-35

6. Independents in the School’s Second Generation

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 37-48

7. Menger’s New Organicism

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 49-57

8. Schmoller, Founder of the “Younger” Historical School

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 59-72

9. Schmoller’s Followers in the “Younger” School

   • Jacob Jan Krabbe

   Pages 73-88

10. Historical School’s “Youngest” Representatives

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 89-98

11. Institutionalism

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 99-113

12. Georgescu-Roegen’s “Bioeconomics”

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 115-117

13. Economic Aspects of Cultural Diversification

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 119-123

14. Economic Systems Theory

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 125-132

15. Efficient Sustainability: An Institutional Approach

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 133-148

16. Perspectives of Organistic Thought

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 149-154

17. Epilogue

    • Jacob Jan Krabbe

    Pages 155-156

18. Back Matter

    Pages 157-189

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This study looks at the roots of German legacy historistic and organistic economic thought, gives a survey of its development and indicates the present-day significance of these ideas. This approach is also of significance for today's institutional economics, and for the field of environmental and resource economics. In this book these fields of study are referred to in various ways. Essentially, some new ideas appear to be rather old and, what amounts to the same, some old ideas appear to be topical. This is particularly true of the "historical approach" to the economy, with its idea of development. It is also true of the organistic approach, which is largely tied up with it. The point of departure is my study on· the G. erman Historical School, published in Dutch in 1983. The scope of the following work, however, is broader, as it also refers to the evolution of historically oriented and organistically oriented economic thought in general. Thus, a number of authors who did not think along the lines of the Historical School are included. For instance, the organically oriented ideas of Menger and Georgescu-Roegen are also examined, as well as the ideas of those who were among the "Institutionalists" and other present-day writers in this field. This study is supported by various publications by other writers. A great part of the literature under consideration is in German.

• German Historical School
• development
• economics
• environment
• evolution
• institutional economics
• resource economics
• sustainability

• Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

  Jacob Jan Krabbe

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