IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/lus/zwipol/v67y2018i2p219-245n3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Positive Wirtschaftsanalyse oder normativer Wirtschaftsentwurf?: Adam Smiths kommerzielle Gesellschaft als wirtschaftspolitische Utopie

Author

Listed:
  • Kremser Christian E. W.

    (Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle, Frankfurter Straße 29–3565760 EschbornEschborn, Germany)

Abstract

Many people consider Adam Smith the first economist to describe the functioning of capitalism. In fact, Smith must be considered less the discoverer of capitalism, but rather as its inventor. The economic laws Smith formulated are institutionally bound to the commercial society, to use the corresponding phrase of Smith, which at that time – at least in its liberal version – has not yet be materialized. In this sense, it represents a utopia of economic policy that still had to be realized. Smith’s comments on commercial society should therefore be understood less as a positive economic analysis than as a normative economic draft.

Suggested Citation

  • Kremser Christian E. W., 2018. "Positive Wirtschaftsanalyse oder normativer Wirtschaftsentwurf?: Adam Smiths kommerzielle Gesellschaft als wirtschaftspolitische Utopie," Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 67(2), pages 219-245, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:lus:zwipol:v:67:y:2018:i:2:p:219-245:n:3
    DOI: 10.1515/zfwp-2018-0010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/zfwp-2018-0010
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/zfwp-2018-0010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simon Cook, 2013. "From Ancients and Moderns to Geography and Anthropology: The Meaning of History in the Thought of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Alfred Marshall," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 45(2), pages 311-343, Summer.
    2. Ronald L. Meek, 1971. "Smith, Turgot, and the “Four Stages” Theory," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 3(1), pages 9-27, Spring.
    3. Warren J. Samuels & Steven G. Medema, 2005. "Freeing Smith from the “Free Market”: On the Misperception of Adam Smith on the Economic Role of Government," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 37(2), pages 219-226, Summer.
    4. Herzog, Lisa, 2013. "Inventing the Market: Smith, Hegel, and Political Theory," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199674176.
    5. Kremser Christian E. W., 2014. "Adam Smith und die Bankenregulierung Ein Widerspruch zu einer sonst liberalen Wirtschaftspolitik?," Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 63(3), pages 293-328, December.
    6. Alvey, James E., 2003. "Adam Smith'S Optimistic Teleological View Of History," Discussion Papers 23708, Massey University, Department of Applied and International Economics.
    7. Skinner, Andrew S, 1990. "The Shaping of Political Economy in the Enlightenment," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 37(2), pages 145-165, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Warren Samuels, 2007. "The interrelations between legal and economic processes: a consideration of the reactions," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 243-285, December.
    2. Sergio Cesaratto, 2013. "Harmonic and Conflict Views in International Economic Relations: a Sraffian View," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Enrico Sergio Levrero & Antonella Palumbo & Antonella Stirati (ed.), Sraffa and the Reconstruction of Economic Theory: Volume Two, chapter 10, pages 242-264, Palgrave Macmillan.
    3. Betsy Jane Clary, 2009. "Smith and Living Wages: Arguments in Support of a Mandated Living Wage," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(5), pages 1063-1084, November.
    4. Michele Bee & Luiz Felipe Bruzzi Curi, 2024. "Agreement is money: Beyond the chartalist reading of Adam Smith," Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG 666, Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
    5. Paganelli, Maria Pia & Simon, Fabrizio & Assistant, JHET, 2020. "Crime and Punishment: Adam Smith’s Theory of Sentimental Law and Economics," OSF Preprints x82yh, Center for Open Science.
    6. Łukasz Hardt, 2023. "On the Modelling Method in Adam Smith’s Economic Thought," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 1, pages 3-18.
    7. Flavia Di Mario & Andrea Micocci, 2017. "Smith’s invisible hand: controversy is needed," The Journal of Philosophical Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 53-82, November.
    8. Cristian Timmermann & Georges Félix, 2015. "Agroecology as a vehicle for contributive justice," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(3), pages 523-538, September.
    9. William McColloch, 2011. "Marxs Appreciation of James Steuart: A Theory of History and Value," Working Paper Series, Department of Economics, University of Utah 2011_09, University of Utah, Department of Economics.
    10. Matthew T. Clements, 2013. "Self-Interest vs. Greed and the Limitations of the Invisible Hand," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(4), pages 949-965, October.
    11. repec:hal:journl:dumas-00910208 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Engelbrecht, Hans-Jurgen & Xayavong, Vilaphonh, 2004. "Information And Communication Technology And New Zealand'S Productivity Malaise: An Industry-Level Study," Discussion Papers 23698, Massey University, Department of Applied and International Economics.
    13. Steven G Medema, 0. "Embracing at arm’s length: Ronald Coase’s uneasy relationship with the Chicago school," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 72(4), pages 1072-1090.
    14. Sergio Cesaratto, 2016. "The modern revival of the Classical surplus approach: implications for the analysis of growth and crises," Department of Economics University of Siena 735, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    15. Daniel Nientiedt, 2019. "Metaphysical justification for an economic constitution? Franz Böhm and the concept of natural law," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 114-129, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Philosophy of History; Progress Theory; Utopia; Enlightenment; Capitalism; Geschichtsphilosophie; Fortschrittstheorie; Utopie; Aufklärung; Kapitalismus;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B12 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Classical (includes Adam Smith)

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:lus:zwipol:v:67:y:2018:i:2:p:219-245:n:3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.