Political Economics in Retrospect

This major work provides an assessment of Adolf Lowe's work and explores areas for future research in relation to his important contribution to economics, in particular his belief that economics is inseparable from social inquiry.The book opens with an overall evaluation of Lowe as a perceptive historical, political and sociological observer, presented through a number of personal recollections by Robert Heilbroner, Claus-Dieter Krohn and Marion Countess Donhoff. They analyse Lowe's intellectual and socio-political development during the Weimar Republic and how this period influenced some of his later works. The second part assesses Lowe's major contribution to the development of business cycle theory, and the roots of his analysis of structural and economic change. The book also examines Lowe's pioneering work in the field of traverse analysis. It concludes with a discussion of Lowe as 'economic philosopher' and his concern with the extent to which contemporary Western societies can balance the conflict between freedom and order.