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{{short description|American economist}}
{{Short description|German-American economist (1910–1976)}}


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'''Karl William Kapp''' (October 27, 1910 – April 4, 1976) was a German-American [[economist]] and Professor of Economics at the City University of New York and later the University of Basel. Kapp's main contribution was the development of a theory of social costs that captures urgent socio-ecological problems and proposes preventative policies based on the precautionary principle. His theory is in the tradition of various [[Heterodox economics|heterodox economic]] paradigms,<ref>Berger, Sebastian (2015). ''The Heterodox Theory of Social Costs'' by K. William Kapp. London: Routledge.</ref> such as [[ecological economics]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Spash |first=Clive |date=1999 |title=The Development of Environmental Thinking in Economics |url=http://www.clivespash.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1999_Spash_EV_Development.pdf |journal=Environmental Values |volume=8 |issue=4 |location=Cambridge |publisher=The White Horse Press |doi=10.3197/096327199129341897 |pages=413–435}}</ref>{{rp|417f}} [[Marxian economics]], [[social economics]], and [[institutional economics]]. As such, Kapp's theory of social costs was an ongoing debate with neoclassical economics and the rise of [[neoliberalism]].<ref>Berger, Sebastian (2017). ''The Social Costs of Neoliberalism: Essays on the Economics of K. William Kapp''. Nottingham: Spokesman.</ref> He was an opponent of the compartmentalization of knowledge and championed, instead, the integration and humanization of the social sciences.<ref>Kapp (1961), ''Toward a Science of Man in Society'', The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.</ref>
'''Karl William Kapp''' (October 27, 1910 – April 4, 1976) was a German-American [[economist]] and professor of economics at the City University of New York and later the University of Basel. Kapp's main contribution was the development of a theory of social costs that captures urgent socio-ecological problems and proposes preventative policies based on the precautionary principle. His theory is in the tradition of various [[Heterodox economics|heterodox economic]] paradigms,<ref>Berger, Sebastian (2015). ''The Heterodox Theory of Social Costs'' by K. William Kapp. London: Routledge.</ref> such as [[ecological economics]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Spash |first=Clive |date=1999 |title=The Development of Environmental Thinking in Economics |url=http://www.clivespash.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1999_Spash_EV_Development.pdf |journal=Environmental Values |volume=8 |issue=4 |location=Cambridge |publisher=The White Horse Press |doi=10.3197/096327199129341897 |pages=413–435}}</ref>{{rp|417f}} [[Marxian economics]], [[social economics]], and [[institutional economics]]. As such, Kapp's theory of social costs was an ongoing debate with neoclassical economics and the rise of [[neoliberalism]].<ref>Berger, Sebastian (2017). ''The Social Costs of Neoliberalism: Essays on the Economics of K. William Kapp''. Nottingham: Spokesman.</ref> He was an opponent of the compartmentalization of knowledge and championed, instead, the integration and humanization of the social sciences.<ref>Kapp (1961), ''Toward a Science of Man in Society'', The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.</ref>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Kapp was born in [[Königsberg]] in 1910 as son of August Wilhelm Kapp, who was a teacher of physics. In secondary school at the ''Hufengymnasium'' one of his teachers was the poet [[Ernst Wiechert]]<ref name = "bio">[http://www.kwilliam-kapp.de/ Biographical Information K. William Kapp], retrieved 15 April 2008.</ref> End 1920s he started studying [[law and economics]] at the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|universities in Berlin]] and [[University of Königsberg|Königsberg]]. He continued his studies in London and at the [[Graduate Institute of International Studies]] in Geneva, where in 1936 he received a [[Ph.D]] in economics with his dissertation "Planwirtschaft und Aussenhandel".
Kapp was born in [[Königsberg]] in 1910 as son of August Wilhelm Kapp, who was a teacher of physics. In secondary school at the ''Hufengymnasium'' one of his teachers was the poet [[Ernst Wiechert]]<ref name = "bio">[http://www.kwilliam-kapp.de/ Biographical Information K. William Kapp], retrieved 15 April 2008.</ref> End 1920s he started studying [[law and economics]] at the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|universities in Berlin]] and [[University of Königsberg|Königsberg]]. He continued his studies in London and at the [[Graduate Institute of International Studies]] in Geneva, where in 1936 he received a [[Ph.D.]] in economics with his dissertation "Planwirtschaft und Aussenhandel".


In Geneva Kapp had met the people of the [[Frankfurt School]], who emigrated to the US and settled as ''Institute for Social Research'' at the Columbia University, New York City. In 1937 they granted Kapp a scholarship.<ref name = "bio"/> From 1938 to 1945 he was an instructor in economics at the [[New York University]] and [[Columbia University]] in New York. From 1945 to 1950 he was assistant professor of economics at the [[Wesleyan University]] in Middleton, Connecticut.
In Geneva Kapp had met the people of the [[Frankfurt School]], who emigrated to the US and settled as ''Institute for Social Research'' at the Columbia University, New York City. In 1937 they granted Kapp a scholarship.<ref name = "bio"/> From 1938 to 1945 he was an instructor in economics at the [[New York University]] and [[Columbia University]] in New York. From 1945 to 1950 he was assistant professor of economics at the [[Wesleyan University]] in Middleton, Connecticut.


From 1950 to 1965 he was a professor of economics at the [[University of the City of New York]]. He was among the first members of the Association for Evolutionary Economics (AFEE). In 1965 he returned to Switzerland and was Professor of economics at the [[University of Basel]] until 1976. In that time he was also a visiting professor at the [[Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes]], Sorbonne, Paris.
From 1950 to 1965 he was a professor of economics at the [[University of the City of New York]]. He was among the first members of the Association for Evolutionary Economics (AFEE). In 1965 he returned to Switzerland and was professor of economics at the [[University of Basel]] until 1976. In that time he was also a visiting professor at the [[Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes]], Sorbonne, Paris.


In 1976, Kapp had a fatal heart attack during a conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
In 1976, Kapp had a fatal heart attack during a conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
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* 1963, ''The Social Costs of Business Enterprise''
* 1963, ''The Social Costs of Business Enterprise''
* 1961, ''Towards a Science of Man in Society – A Positive Approach towards the Integration of Social Knowledge''
* 1961, ''Towards a Science of Man in Society – A Positive Approach towards the Integration of Social Knowledge''
* 1958, ''Volkswirtschaftliche Kosten der Privatwirtschaft''. Tübingen : Mohr (Siebeck).
* 1958, ''Volkswirtschaftliche Kosten der Privatwirtschaft''. Tübingen: Mohr (Siebeck).
* 1975, ''Neue Wege für Bangladesh''. Hamburg : Inst. f. Asienkunde
* 1975, ''Neue Wege für Bangladesh''. Hamburg : Inst. f. Asienkunde
* 1976, ''Staatliche Förderung "umweltfreundlicher" Technologien''. Göttingen : Schwartz.
* 1976, ''Staatliche Förderung "umweltfreundlicher" Technologien''. Göttingen: Schwartz.
* 2011, ''The Foundations of Institutional Economics – by K. William Kapp, edited by Sebastian Berger and Rolf Steppacher''. Routledge.
* 2011, ''The Foundations of Institutional Economics – by K. William Kapp, edited by Sebastian Berger and Rolf Steppacher''. Routledge.


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[[Category:Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni]]
[[Category:Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century German economists]]
[[Category:20th-century German economists]]
[[Category:Sustainability advocates]]
[[Category:American sustainability advocates]]
[[Category:Wesleyan University faculty]]
[[Category:Wesleyan University faculty]]
[[Category:Ecological economists]]
[[Category:Ecological economists]]
[[Category:20th-century American economists]]
[[Category:20th-century American economists]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States]]

Latest revision as of 13:04, 27 October 2024

Karl William Kapp
Born(1910-10-27)October 27, 1910
Königsberg, East Prussia, Imperial Germany
DiedApril 4, 1976(1976-04-04) (aged 65)
Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
NationalityGermany
United States
Academic career
FieldEvolutionary economics, institutional economics
School or
tradition		Institutional economics

Karl William Kapp (October 27, 1910 – April 4, 1976) was a German-American economist and professor of economics at the City University of New York and later the University of Basel. Kapp's main contribution was the development of a theory of social costs that captures urgent socio-ecological problems and proposes preventative policies based on the precautionary principle. His theory is in the tradition of various heterodox economic paradigms,[1] such as ecological economics,[2]: 417f  Marxian economics, social economics, and institutional economics. As such, Kapp's theory of social costs was an ongoing debate with neoclassical economics and the rise of neoliberalism.[3] He was an opponent of the compartmentalization of knowledge and championed, instead, the integration and humanization of the social sciences.[4]

Biography

[edit]

Kapp was born in Königsberg in 1910 as son of August Wilhelm Kapp, who was a teacher of physics. In secondary school at the Hufengymnasium one of his teachers was the poet Ernst Wiechert[5] End 1920s he started studying law and economics at the universities in Berlin and Königsberg. He continued his studies in London and at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, where in 1936 he received a Ph.D. in economics with his dissertation "Planwirtschaft und Aussenhandel".

In Geneva Kapp had met the people of the Frankfurt School, who emigrated to the US and settled as Institute for Social Research at the Columbia University, New York City. In 1937 they granted Kapp a scholarship.[5] From 1938 to 1945 he was an instructor in economics at the New York University and Columbia University in New York. From 1945 to 1950 he was assistant professor of economics at the Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut.

From 1950 to 1965 he was a professor of economics at the University of the City of New York. He was among the first members of the Association for Evolutionary Economics (AFEE). In 1965 he returned to Switzerland and was professor of economics at the University of Basel until 1976. In that time he was also a visiting professor at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris.

In 1976, Kapp had a fatal heart attack during a conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia.[citation needed]

Work

[edit]

Kapp's research interests ranged from economics, sociology, policy making and environmental science to the theory of knowledge, the history of economic thought, and many related topics.[6]

Planning debate

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In his 1936 dissertation Planwirtschaft und Aussenhandel contributed to the debate around the economic calculation problem, a criticism of central economic planning. This problem was first proposed by Ludwig von Mises in 1920, expounded by Friedrich Hayek and further debated in the 1920s and 1930s. Kapp argued that a planned economy is "not doomed to autarky because there are ways to deal with the valuation problem so that trade and exchange with market economies can be organized".[5]

Publications

[edit]
  • 1936, Planwirtschaft und Außenhandel, Genève : Georg & Cie.
  • 1950, The Social Costs of Private Enterprise, Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard Univ. Press
  • 1963, The Social Costs of Business Enterprise
  • 1961, Towards a Science of Man in Society – A Positive Approach towards the Integration of Social Knowledge
  • 1958, Volkswirtschaftliche Kosten der Privatwirtschaft. Tübingen: Mohr (Siebeck).
  • 1975, Neue Wege für Bangladesh. Hamburg : Inst. f. Asienkunde
  • 1976, Staatliche Förderung "umweltfreundlicher" Technologien. Göttingen: Schwartz.
  • 2011, The Foundations of Institutional Economics – by K. William Kapp, edited by Sebastian Berger and Rolf Steppacher. Routledge.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Berger, Sebastian (2015). The Heterodox Theory of Social Costs by K. William Kapp. London: Routledge.
  2. ^ Spash, Clive (1999). "The Development of Environmental Thinking in Economics" (PDF). Environmental Values. 8 (4). Cambridge: The White Horse Press: 413–435. doi:10.3197/096327199129341897.
  3. ^ Berger, Sebastian (2017). The Social Costs of Neoliberalism: Essays on the Economics of K. William Kapp. Nottingham: Spokesman.
  4. ^ Kapp (1961), Toward a Science of Man in Society, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
  5. ^ a b c Biographical Information K. William Kapp, retrieved 15 April 2008.
  6. ^ "Karl William Kapp 1910–1976, Obituary" in Journal of Economic Issues (1976), nr 09.

Further reading

[edit]
  • 2017, Sebastian Berger, The Social Costs of Neoliberalism: Essays on the Economics of K. William Kapp. Nottingham: Spokesman.
  • 2015, Sebastian Berger (ed) The Heterodox Theory of Social Costs - by K. William Kapp. London: Routledge.
  • 2011, Julien-Francois Gerber/Rolf Steppacher (eds) "Towards an Integrated Paradigm in Heterodox Economics". Palgrave-Macmillan.
  • 2007, Eyup Ozveren (2007)"Where disciplinary boundaries blur"
[edit]
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