Von Thünen’s Political Economy of Justice

While von Thünen has been much praised for his agricultural economics and his contributions to marginal productivity theory, his political economy of justice has only rarely been taken seriously. Thünen’s political economy puts forth a normative theoretical structure, a positive analysis of the real world barriers that prevent that structure from emerging, and a reform program to begin addressing the issues of distributional justice in a capitalist economy. He deserves recognition as one of the first economists to attempt a rigorous description of economic justice in a market context. Whatever its mathematical errors, his theory of natural wages is a path breaking attempt to formalize a normative theory of justice. Moreover his discussion in the European context of the practical barriers to achieving a more just distribution represents an important and nuanced positive contribution. The final component of Thünen’s political economy of justice is his practical reform program. While that program may fall short of the more elaborate suggestions put forward by his contemporary, John Stuart Mill, it shows a sincere sensitivity to the welfare of the working classes.