Hans Christoph Binswanger

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Hans Christoph Binswanger (born June 19, 1929 in Zurich ; † January 18, 2018 in St. Gallen ) was a Swiss economist . He developed the idea of ​​an ecological tax reform and was considered a prominent non- Marxist critic of money and growth .

Life

Hans Christoph Binswanger studied economics in Zurich and Kiel. He received his doctorate in 1956 from the University of Zurich ; In 1967 he received his habilitation at the University of St. Gallen (HSG, today University of St. Gallen ).

From 1969 until his retirement in 1994, he taught as a full professor of economics at the University of St. Gallen. From 1967 to 1992 he was director of the Research Association for National Economy (FGN-HSG), since 1980 managing director. From 1992 to 1995 he worked as director of the newly founded Institute for Economy and Ecology (IWÖ-HSG). Binswanger sat as an advisory board member in the Ecological-Social Market Economy Forum and was a founding member of the Association for Ecological Economy . He was the doctoral supervisor of Josef Ackermann , the former Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank . In 1994 Ackermann gave the laudation on the occasion of the award of the Dr. Brandenberger Prize.

He was the son of the writer Robert Binswanger and the painter Margarethe Goetz and the father of the economist Mathias Binswanger . The well-known psychiatrist and founder of Daseinanalysis , Ludwig Binswanger , was his uncle .

Main focus of work and research

His work and research interests included environmental and resource economics , monetary theory , the history of economic theory and European integration . Since the 1960s, his main interest has been the connection between economy and ecology - the "field of tension between nature and money ". In his research, Binswanger has repeatedly exceeded the limits of his own discipline. For example, with his work Money and Magic, he presented a monetary theoretical interpretation of Goethe's Faust. He is regarded as a distinguished critic of political economy and a respected environmental economist , but has also become known to a wider audience, for example within the movement critical of growth .

Binswanger argued that the models of growth theory would overlook the production factor nature (or energy), for example in national accounts . Since growth always consumes nature, he calls for changes in the economic system to slow growth. He would like to reform joint-stock companies that are geared towards continuous profit or replace them with other forms of business: cooperatives or foundations that are less dynamic in terms of growth. His idea of ​​the ecological tax reform tries to make nature visible as an independent “social partner” in economic value creation.

Binswanger sees money in a double function: as a means of payment and capital. He does not plead for an end to growth, but for reduced growth . His economic theory is a counter-model to neoclassical theory , he explains in The Growth Spiral, which summarizes his findings and illuminates the connection between growth dynamics, money creation and the destruction of natural foundations. According to Binswanger, the creation of money is the engine of growth, from which, however, a compulsion for further growth arises. An entrepreneur who wants to manufacture something needs capital to be able to buy labor, machines and raw materials. This money is made available to him as a loan from banks. The pressure to grow arises because the profits that companies make today have to justify yesterday's investments. Today, however, profits can only be made for everyone if there is enough purchasing power, so investments must be made again today in additional labor or higher wages. This investment will only pay off tomorrow, when it will have to be invested again. “Growth requires further growth.” A stationary economy with zero growth is no longer possible, but either growth or dangerous contraction.

Binswanger gives the economic growth that is necessary worldwide at 1.8 percent. His thesis that the use of credit money creates a compulsion to grow is, however, doubted by other authors. As a way out, he argues that only the central banks are allowed to create money in order to limit the amount of money. He thus ties in with the idea of ​​“ full money ” as developed by the sociologist Joseph Huber , and connects it with his intention to reduce growth.

Binswanger sees the reason why the neoclassical was successful is that it is a pleasant theory for the haves. He claims that the neoclassical was conceived as a radical departure from the classic in order to displace the Marxian analyzes, which were largely based on the classical. He encourages you to think about an unconditional additional income, which is paid out as circulating money .

Honors

Binswanger has received numerous honors: the Federal Nature Conservation Prize (1980), the Bodo Manstein Medal of the BUND (1980), the Great Binding Prize for Nature and Environmental Protection (Liechtenstein, 1986), the appointment as Honorary Senator of the Vienna University of Economics and Business (1994) , the award of the Dr. JE Brandenberger (1994), the appointment as honorary chairman of the Herbert-Gruhl- Gesellschaft e. V. (2003) and the Adam Smith Prize for market-based environmental policy (2004).

In memory of Binswanger, the Institute for Economics and Ecology at the University of St. Gallen awarded the Hans Christoph Binswanger Prize to Simon Mugier in 2019 for his dissertation on the sociological significance of Binswanger's economic theory.

Publications

  • European economic integration through partial unions. With special consideration of the coal and steel industry. Dissertation. Keller, Winterthur 1957.
  • Market and international currency order. A contribution to the integration of general equilibrium theory and monetary theory. Mohr, Tübingen 1969.
  • with Hans Manfred Mayrzedt : European policy of the rest of the EFTA states. Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, Portugal. Schulthess Polygraphischer Verlag, Zurich 1972.
  • as publisher: The European agricultural policy before new alternatives. Haupt, Bern / Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-258-02548-7 .
  • as ed. with Werner Geissberger and Theo Ginsburg: The NAWU Report: Ways out of the prosperity trap. Strategies against unemployment and the environmental crisis. S. Fischer, Frankfurt 1978, ISBN 3-10-006401-1 ; Paperback edition: Ways out of the prosperity trap. The NAWU report, strategies against unemployment and environmental degradation. ibid. 1979, ISBN 3-596-24030-1 .
  • Property and Property Policy. A contribution to the total revision of the Swiss Federal Constitution. Schulthess Polygraphischer Verlag, Zurich 1978, ISBN 3-7255-1879-3 .
  • with Holger Bonus and Manfred Timmermann : Economy and Environment. Possibilities of an ecologically compatible economic policy. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart [et al.] 1981, ISBN 3-17-007353-2 .
  • Money and Economy in the Understanding of Mercantilism. In: Fritz Neumark (ed.): Studies on the development of economic theory II. History of mercantilist ideas and practices. Duncker and Humblot, Berlin 1982, ISBN 3-428-05110-6 .
  • with Heinz Frisch, Hans G. Nutzinger , Bertram Schefold , Gerhard Scherhorn , Udo E. Simonis and Burkhard Strümpel: Work without environmental destruction. Strategies for a New Economic Policy. A publication by the Federal Environment and Nature Conservation Germany e. V. (BUND) . S. Fischer, Frankfurt 1983, ISBN 3-10-006403-8 ; Revised version as paperback, ibid. 1988, ISBN 3-596-24189-8 .
  • Money and magic. Interpretation and criticism of the modern economy based on Goethe's Faust. With an afterword by Iring Fetscher . Edition Weitbrecht, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-522-70140-2 ; 2nd, completely revised edition: Money and Magic. An economic interpretation of Goethe's Faust. Murmann, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-938017-25-2 .
  • JG Schlosser's theory of imaginary needs. A contribution to German economics beyond physiocracy and classical music. In: Harald Scherf (Ed.): Studies on the development of economic theory V. German national economy at the beginning of the 19th century. Duncker and Humblot, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-428-05913-1 .
  • Money and nature. Economic growth in the field of tension between economy and ecology. Edition Weitbrecht, Stuttgart / Vienna 1992, ISBN 3-522-70450-9 .
  • Goethe as an economist. Opportunities and dangers of the modern economy as reflected in Goethe's poetry. In: Bertram Schefold (Ed.): Studies on the Development of Economic Theory XI. The representation of the economy and economics in fiction. Duncker and Humblot, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-428-07345-2 .
  • as ed. with Paschen von Flotow: Money & Growth. On the philosophy and practice of money. Edition Weitbrecht, Stuttgart / Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-522-71670-1 .
  • Sustainable economic activity and ecological tax reform. In: Frank Biermann, Sebastian Büttner, Carsten Helm (eds.): Sustainable development. Challenge to science and politics. Festschrift for Udo E. Simonis on his 60th birthday. Edition Sigma, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-89404-174-9 , pp. 85-98.
  • The Faith Community of Economists. Essays on the culture of the economy. Gerling-Akademie-Verlag, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-932425-06-5 . 2nd, updated edition: Murmann, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86774-136-1 .
  • The growth spiral. Money, Energy and Imagination in the Dynamics of the Market Process. Metropolis-Verlag, Marburg 2006, ISBN 3-89518-554-X ; 4th, revised edition, ibid 2013, ISBN 978-3-89518-956-2 .
  • King Midas: Is Everything Turning To Gold? Money and Growth In: Alexander Karmann & Joachim Klose (eds.): Money rules the world? Economic reflections. Metropolis, Marburg 2006, ISBN 3-89518-556-6 , pp. 251-266
  • Forward to moderation. Perspectives for a sustainable economy. Murmann, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-86774-072-2
  • The growth spiral in the crisis Approaches to sustainable growth (= Dresden Discussion Paper in Economics. No. 03/09). Dresden 2009, hdl : 10419/36498
  • The financial and environmental crisis cannot be resolved without currency and monetary reform. In: Association Monetary Modernization (ed.): The sovereign money reform - how national debt can be reduced and financial crises prevented. Edition Zeit, Solothurn 2012, ISBN 978-3-9523955-0-9 , pp. 19–32 ( PDF; 85 kB )
  • Reality as a challenge. Crossing borders of an economist. Murmann Publishers, Hamburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-86774-538-3

literature

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ^ A b c Oswald Burger: Economist Hans Christoph Binswanger died at the age of 88. In: Südkurier . January 20, 2018, accessed January 20, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Advisory board member Prof. Dr. Binswanger passed away , press release, foes.de, January 23, 2018.
  3. ^ Obituary for Hans Christoph Binswanger , voeoe.de, January 24, 2018.
  4. ↑ Benedikt Fehr & Holger Steltzner : Josef Ackermann and Hans Christoph Binswanger: “The money is missing. Well, do it then! " . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . June 30, 2009
  5. ^ A b c Hans G. Nutzinger : Hans Christoph Binswanger's economic work . In: Roland Kley (Hrsg.): Growth, money and spirit: the economist Hans Christoph Binswanger . VGS Publishing Cooperative, St. Gallen 2010, p. 122-143 .
  6. ↑ Hans Christoph Binswanger: Money and nature: economic growth in the field of tension between economy and ecology . Edition Weitbrecht, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-522-70450-9 .
  7. ↑ H.ans Christoph Binswanger, E. Ledergerber: braking energy growth as a means of growth control . In: J. Wolf (Ed.): Economic policy in the environmental crisis . dva, Stuttgart 1974, p. 103-125 .
  8. ↑ a b Hans Christoph Binswanger: The growth spiral: Money, energy and imagination in the dynamics of the market process . Metropolis, Marburg 2006, ISBN 3-89518-554-X .
  9. ↑ Hans Christoph Binswanger: Forward to moderation: Perspectives of a sustainable economy . Murmann, Hamburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-86774-072-2 .
  10. ↑ "Growth has to be reduced - but not to zero." , Interview with Bernd Ludermann in welt-sichten from September 2008.
  11. ↑ Ulrich Busch: Review of the growth spiral. In: Utopie Kreativ, June 2007, p. 571.
  12. ↑ Niko Paech: "Where does the compulsion to grow come from ?." GAIA-Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 16.4 (2007): 299-300. doi : 10.14512 / gaia.16.4.13
  13. ↑ a b Hans Christoph Binswanger: compulsion to grow and sustainability. Establishing the conflict as a prerequisite for its resolution. Lecture as part of the lecture series on post-growth economics at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg on November 12, 2008 ( PDF; 235 kB )
  14. ↑ a b Stephan Kosch: Economic expert criticizes the need for growth: “We have to brake” . In: the daily newspaper . 4th December 2009
  15. ↑ Oliver Richters, Andreas Siemoneit: Consistency and Stability Analysis of Models of a Monetary Growth Imperative . Ecological Economics 136, June 2017, pp. 114–125, doi : 10.1016 / j.ecolecon.2017.01.017 . Preprint as VÖÖ Discussion Paper 1, February 2016.
  16. ↑ Sebastian Strunz, Bartosz Bartkowski and Harry Schindler 2017: Is there a monetary growth imperative? In: PA Victor and B. Dolter (Eds.), Handbook on growth and sustainability. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 326-355.
  17. ↑ Robert von Heusinger : IMF chief economist Blanchard: The revolutionary paper . In: Frankfurter Rundschau . March 1, 2010, accessed October 27, 2012.
  18. ↑ Foundation Dr. JE Brandenberger: Previous winners , accessed on April 10, 2018.
  19. ^ Herbert Gruhl Society: Herbert Gruhl Prize . Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  20. ^ Forum Ecological-Social Market Economy: FÖS awards Adam Smith Prize to Binswanger . July 2, 2004 (PDF; 47 kB)
  21. ↑ Hans Christoph Binswanger Prize and invitation to the award of the 1st Hans Christoph Binswanger Prize . Institute for Economics and Ecology, University of St. Gallen .
  22. ↑ Simon Mugier: Economic growth and social question. On the sociological significance of the economic theory by Hans Christoph Binswanger. (= Economic sustainability research. Volume 20). Metropolis, Marburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-7316-1383-1 .
personal data
SURNAME Binswanger, Hans Christoph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss economist
DATE OF BIRTH June 19, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich
DATE OF DEATH January 18, 2018
Place of death St. Gallen