Günter Schmölders (29 September 1903 in
Berlin – 7 November 1991 in
Munich) was a German economist at
Breslau and
Cologne universities.
Work
He was among the early pioneers of
behavioral studies in economics. His first works dealt with the failure of
prohibition and alcohol regulation laws e.g. in Sweden.
He became a
NSDAP member in 1933 and received a tenure (Lehrstuhl) at Breslau university. He dealt with Staatswissenschaften, the Prussian equivalent of macro and state economics and spatial planning. He had some contacts with the
Kreisauer Kreis later. Military service and the effects of Allied air bombing raids interrupted his university activities.
After the war, he found a new home and university post in Cologne. The
Marshall Plan and the
Europäische Zahlungsunion (European Currency Union) made him aware of international financial instruments and institutions and their scientific role. In Cologne, he founded the ''Zentralarchiv für empirische Sozialforschung,'' the first European archive collecting economical empirical data and opinion polls. His later works includes as well studies on the psychology of taxing and tax evasion, e.g. ''Das Irrationale in der öffentlichen Finanzwirtschaft (''the irrational aspects of public finances'')'' in 1960. His grandfather
Franz August Schmölders
Franz August Schmölders (28 November 1809, in Rhede, Münsterland – 21 February 1880, in Breslau) was a German orientalist. His focus was the Arabic language and literature.
Education
Schmölders studied from 1830 on philosophy and theology a ...
was professor for
orientalism
In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...
in Breslau.
Heritage
Schmölders had been married with a journalist. They had three children, their daughter
Claudia Schmölders
Claudia Schmölders, also Claudia Henn-Schmölders (born 25 October 1944 in Heidelberg) is a German cultural scholar, author, and translator.
Life
Schmölders completed a study of music, German studies, and philosophy at the Universities of Cologn ...
, a cultural scholar, translator and author heads the Schmölders foundation in memory of her father together with Christian Opelt. The foundation has some connection with the
Verein für Socialpolitik, an important association for economics in Germany. The foundation has provided e.g. scholarships for transatlantic studies. The prize of the Schmölders foundation contains a 3.000 € donation and is honoring outstanding contributions to behavioral studies in economics.
Laureates include e.g.
* 2013 Andreas Knabe, Steffen Raetzel, Ronnie Schoeb and
Joachim Weimann
Joachim Weimann (born February 14, 1956) is a German economist. He is currently the chair for Economic Policy at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. Weimann's research interests include environmental economics and behavioral economics.
...
* 2014 Johannes Rincke, Nadja Dwenger,
Henrik J. Kleven and Imran Rasul
* 2015
Moritz Schularick and Alan Taylor
From 1968 till 1970, Schmölders presided
Mont Pelerin Society and got member of Vaduzer Institut, a libertarian think tank. He received various honorary doctorates and orders of the
Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz in 1969 and with star 1979. His archive is maintained by the
Hoover Institution at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
.
Notes
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmolders
German economists
1903 births
Academic staff of the University of Cologne
Academic staff of the University of Breslau
Nazi Party members
1991 deaths
Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Member of the Mont Pelerin Society