The moral foundations of society and technological progress of the economy in the work of Wilhelm Röpke

Abstract

Abstract: Resico and Solari focus first on the relationship in Wilhelm Röpke’s work between morality, social integration, and the market by delineating Röpke’s humanism and his metaphysical conception of man. The authors emphasize the interdependent set of feedbacks in economy and society which are at the heart of Röpke’s system. In the next step, the connection between morality and social integration is explored via the concept of metastability of the market society. Subsequently, Resico and Solari discuss innovations in technology and organization, relate them to the concept of metastability, and show Röpke’s ambiguous assessment of these innovations due to his focus on decentralizing economy and society. Overall, the relationship between division of labor, technology, and economic development is studied as it gradually unfolds in Röpke’s works.