Jacques Rueff: an Ordoliberal? Between Commonalities and Divergences

Rueff's liberalism has sometimes been associated with a multitude of liberalisms, including that of the Austrian School (Pays 1989; 1991), monetarism (Guelfat 1971)), and finally German ordoliberalism (Minart 2016). It is probably the latter that Rueff was closest to, not only because he maintained regular relations with some of its proponents, notably through his personal correspondence with Erhard and Röpke, but also through his participation in events associated with the renewal of liberalism. This allowed him to meet ordoliberals regularly, as they were also present at such events (such as the Lippmann Colloquium and the Mont Pelerin Society). Furthermore, the characteristics of Rueff's liberalism are sometimes similar to the values and vision developed by ordoliberals (Minart 2016). In particular, both conceive of state intervention in the economy, especially for the realization of "collective ends" (Rueff 1945) and more generally for social aspects, as well as for the establishment and sustainability of order, which Rueff describes as "social and liberal" (ibid.). However, history and economic thought have not recognized Rueff as an ordoliberal. How can this be explained? This is the crucial question addressed in this article. To achieve this, we will need to revisit their respective analyses of key liberal elements such as interventionism, competition, price mechanisms, and social order. This article offers a comparative analysis of the liberal thought of Rueff and that of the ordoliberals. It seeks to highlight the nuances that distinguish them, but also of emphasizing potential differences among them and revealing similarities where they exist, thereby contributing a novel perspective to our understanding of twentieth-century liberalism.