Wilfried Altzinger

Kurt W. Rothschild (1914 – 2010)

A modest and upright character with an outstanding publication record

10 Seiten · 4,00 EUR
(Mai 2011)

Ich bin mit den AGBs, insbesondere Punkt 10 (ausschließlich private Nutzung, keine Weitergabe an Dritte), einverstanden

Introduction

With the death of Kurt W. Rothschild on 15 November 2010 at the age of 96, Austria has lost, without doubt, one of her most thoughtful and original economic thinkers of the past century. He has been contributing to economics through a large number of publications in several fields over a period of nearly 70 years. A recent count lists 25 books, 120 papers in scholarly Journals, 115 contributions to collective volumes, and 140 book reviews.1 However, it was not only his outstanding scientific performance which made Rothschild unique, moreover it was his modesty and his upright character combined with his openness and unusual analytical tolerance which made him one of the most respected speakers in public forums, as well as an enjoyable conversational partner at more private occasions. There was never any moment where one did not excitedly listen to his well-founded and conclusive arguments. It was indeed not only his public performance which impressed scholars, students and ordinary people alike. It was in particular the coherence of his public and private life which made him impressively credible. Where did all these attitudes come from? We will try to explore the formative journey of an extraordinary human being in six sequences: Rothschild’s growing up in »Red Vienna« (1914 – 1933); his study of Law in Vienna (1933 – 38); the enforced exile at the University of Glasgow, Scotland and his acquaintance with Keynesian thinking there (1938 – 1947); his work at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) in Vienna (1947 – 1966); his late comeback to pure scientific life at the University of Linz (1966 – 1985); and finally his impressive period as a retiree which he truly has never been (1985 – 2010). Nevertheless, concerning the formation of Rothschild’s attitudes, the initial three periods have certainly been the most important ones. Although the following three stages are productive and exciting by themselves, they did not shape Rothschild’s character very much. Since my intention is not to give full account of his scientific work (which is more or less impossible) but to stick more to Rothschild’s personality and philosophy, I will draw more heavily on the initial periods of his life, on the so-called formative years.2