For citation:
Zhuk, A. A., & Vaganov, A. A. (2024). Competition and Competitive Environment in Historical Schools of Economics. AlterEconomics, 21(2), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.31063/AlterEconomics/2024.21-2.5
Abstract:
This article seeks to identify and systematize interpretations of competition and competitive environment by representatives of the German historical school of economics. It traces the evolution of their views over generations, showing how these views were refined in response to economic development, scientific and technological progress, and doctrines in related disciplines. The German authors’ perspectives emerged as a critique of traditional English classical political economy, reflecting the challenges faced by less industrialized and economically developed regions in competing with leading economies. Recognizing that the strongest would prevail under existing rules, historians focused on factors that could balance the economic disparity. This includes F. List’s “infant industry protectionism” and the calls by W. Roscher and G. Schmoller to consider legal and social factors, as well as L. Brentano’s emphasis on the influence of Christianity. Despite this, early historians like W. Roscher and B. Hildebrand acknowledged the need for free competition as a fundamental driver of economic development, a view supported by later historians such as G. Schmoller, L. Brentano, W. Sombart, and M. Weber. This study aims to fill gaps in understanding the competitive environment, providing scholars with a modern methodological approach to analyzing competition and opening avenues for further research and debate.
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