Marius Kuster | University of Lausanne (original) (raw)
Papers by Marius Kuster
Metaphors in the History of Economic Thought: Crises, Business Cycles and Equilibrium (Routledge Studies in the History of Economics), Jul 22, 2022
This chapter investigates how the German economist Werner Sombart (1863–1941) built his business ... more This chapter investigates how the German economist Werner Sombart (1863–1941) built his business cycle theory based on insights gained from a biological metaphor. Searching for a new classification of economic organization, Sombart put to work the biological principle of differentiation and integration with which he became familiar from his reading of the biologist Ernst Haeckel. Using the principle, Sombart was able to separately address what had been only considered jointly before: the development of economic organization and technological progress. For Sombart, the economy became more ‘interconnected’ (gebunden) over time, because individuals increasingly specialized within a great variety of economic organizations and therefore became more dependent on each other. Technology, in contrast, freed humans from the organic barriers of nature. This emancipation from nature unlocked the energy and speed that distinguished industrial production from earlier manufacture. Sombart linked this insight to two different types of industries. Inorganic industries could make full use of the emancipation, while organic industries were still hampered by organic barriers. The result of this uneven development was the phenomenon of the business cycle. Previous research has argued that Sombart derived his cycle theory from Marx or, alternatively, that Sombart fitted his theory to his conservative political convictions. I argue, however, that the biological principle of differentiation and integration played a significant heuristic role in establishing Sombart’s business cycle theory.
OEconomia, 2020
What can be learned from a Handbook focused on the history of women’s economic thought? After all... more What can be learned from a Handbook focused on the history of women’s economic thought? After all, only recently a three volumes handbook on the history of economic thought (HET) has been published (Faccarello and Kurz, 2016). The short answer is: a lot. This is not only due to the fact that the former handbook has just one entry on a female economist, but also because the Handbook of the History of Women’s Economic Thought offers an impressive geographical scope and presents a large variety ...
Few areas in economics are as controversial as economic forecasting. While the field has sparked ... more Few areas in economics are as controversial as economic forecasting. While the field has sparked great hopes for the prediction of economic trends and events throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, economic forecasts have often proved inaccurate or unreliable, thus provoking severe criticism in times of unpredicted crisis. Despite these failures, economic forecasting has not lost its importance. Futures Past considers the history and present state of economic forecasting, giving a fascinating account of the changing practices involved, their origins, records, and their implications. By bringing together economists, historians, and sociologists, this volume offers fresh perspectives on the place of forecasting in modern industrial societies, thereby making a broader claim for greater interdisciplinary cooperation in the history of economics.
Die Lebensmittelknappheit und die daraus resultierende Teuerung wahrend des Ersten Weltkriegs ver... more Die Lebensmittelknappheit und die daraus resultierende Teuerung wahrend des Ersten Weltkriegs verursachten Not und Hunger in breiten Bevolkerungsschichten. Mittels Hochstpreisen, Rationierungen und Unterstutzungsmassnahmen versuchten die Behorden dieser Entwicklung entgegenzuwirken. Um solche Massnahmen auf die Bedurfnisse der notleidenden Bevolkerung abstimmen zu konnen, wurde das Bestreben verstarkt, ein anwendbares Existenzminimum zu definieren. Ahnlich wie die Berechnung von absoluten Armutsgrenzen basierte dessen Herleitung auf der Festlegung von Grundbedurfnissen, die mittels Haushaltsrechnungen erfasst wurden. In diesem Beitrag zeigen wir mithilfe von absoluten Armutsgrenzen, woran sich die Berechnungen von Existenzminima orientierten. Zudem kann unter Einbezug von Lohndaten ersichtlich gemacht werden, wie sich die Unterstutzungsmassnahmen auf den Lebensstandard verschiedener Einkommensschichten auswirkten. Die Unterstutzungsmassnahmen garantierten die Grundbedurfnisse und be...
Metaphors in the History of Economic Thought: Crises, Business Cycles and Equilibrium (Routledge Studies in the History of Economics), Jul 22, 2022
This chapter investigates how the German economist Werner Sombart (1863–1941) built his business ... more This chapter investigates how the German economist Werner Sombart (1863–1941) built his business cycle theory based on insights gained from a biological metaphor. Searching for a new classification of economic organization, Sombart put to work the biological principle of differentiation and integration with which he became familiar from his reading of the biologist Ernst Haeckel. Using the principle, Sombart was able to separately address what had been only considered jointly before: the development of economic organization and technological progress. For Sombart, the economy became more ‘interconnected’ (gebunden) over time, because individuals increasingly specialized within a great variety of economic organizations and therefore became more dependent on each other. Technology, in contrast, freed humans from the organic barriers of nature. This emancipation from nature unlocked the energy and speed that distinguished industrial production from earlier manufacture. Sombart linked this insight to two different types of industries. Inorganic industries could make full use of the emancipation, while organic industries were still hampered by organic barriers. The result of this uneven development was the phenomenon of the business cycle. Previous research has argued that Sombart derived his cycle theory from Marx or, alternatively, that Sombart fitted his theory to his conservative political convictions. I argue, however, that the biological principle of differentiation and integration played a significant heuristic role in establishing Sombart’s business cycle theory.
OEconomia, 2020
What can be learned from a Handbook focused on the history of women’s economic thought? After all... more What can be learned from a Handbook focused on the history of women’s economic thought? After all, only recently a three volumes handbook on the history of economic thought (HET) has been published (Faccarello and Kurz, 2016). The short answer is: a lot. This is not only due to the fact that the former handbook has just one entry on a female economist, but also because the Handbook of the History of Women’s Economic Thought offers an impressive geographical scope and presents a large variety ...
Few areas in economics are as controversial as economic forecasting. While the field has sparked ... more Few areas in economics are as controversial as economic forecasting. While the field has sparked great hopes for the prediction of economic trends and events throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, economic forecasts have often proved inaccurate or unreliable, thus provoking severe criticism in times of unpredicted crisis. Despite these failures, economic forecasting has not lost its importance. Futures Past considers the history and present state of economic forecasting, giving a fascinating account of the changing practices involved, their origins, records, and their implications. By bringing together economists, historians, and sociologists, this volume offers fresh perspectives on the place of forecasting in modern industrial societies, thereby making a broader claim for greater interdisciplinary cooperation in the history of economics.
Die Lebensmittelknappheit und die daraus resultierende Teuerung wahrend des Ersten Weltkriegs ver... more Die Lebensmittelknappheit und die daraus resultierende Teuerung wahrend des Ersten Weltkriegs verursachten Not und Hunger in breiten Bevolkerungsschichten. Mittels Hochstpreisen, Rationierungen und Unterstutzungsmassnahmen versuchten die Behorden dieser Entwicklung entgegenzuwirken. Um solche Massnahmen auf die Bedurfnisse der notleidenden Bevolkerung abstimmen zu konnen, wurde das Bestreben verstarkt, ein anwendbares Existenzminimum zu definieren. Ahnlich wie die Berechnung von absoluten Armutsgrenzen basierte dessen Herleitung auf der Festlegung von Grundbedurfnissen, die mittels Haushaltsrechnungen erfasst wurden. In diesem Beitrag zeigen wir mithilfe von absoluten Armutsgrenzen, woran sich die Berechnungen von Existenzminima orientierten. Zudem kann unter Einbezug von Lohndaten ersichtlich gemacht werden, wie sich die Unterstutzungsmassnahmen auf den Lebensstandard verschiedener Einkommensschichten auswirkten. Die Unterstutzungsmassnahmen garantierten die Grundbedurfnisse und be...