Roepke and the Human Economy

W.H. Chellis

Roepke and the Human Economy
W.H. Chellis

Since we are talking economics here at De Regno, I must admit a prejudice. I have never been a fan of the “dismal science.” Yet, not all economists are made equal. Among 20th Century economists, the German born Wilhelm Roepke (1899-1966) has no peer (at least from my conservative and Christian perspective).

Roepke combined the classical economics of Adam Smith with the best of the European Christian humanist tradition. A primary author of Germany’s post-WWII “economic miracle”, Roepke is known for his books The Human Economy, The Social Crisis of our Time, and The Moral Foundations of Civil Society.

Roepke, who taught for a number of years at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, was a critic of the “cult of the colossal.” A Protestant, Roepke understood the social and moral framework upon which a humane free market must rest. A champion of economic freedom, personal restraint, and the principles of subsidiarity, Roepke was a critic of the “cult of the colossal.”

Christians who want to think about how their faith applies to economics will find no better guide than Wilhelm Roepke.