Background
Recktenwald, Horst Claus was born on January 25, 1920 in Spiesen, Saarland, Germany. Son of Jakob and Maria (Bund) Recktenwald.
Recktenwald, Horst Claus was born on January 25, 1920 in Spiesen, Saarland, Germany. Son of Jakob and Maria (Bund) Recktenwald.
Doctor in Political Science, University Mainz, Federal Republic Germany, 1954. Venia Legendi, University Mainz, Federal Republic Germany, 1957.
Privatdozent., University
Mainz, 1957-1958. Professor, Tech. Hochschule, Darmstadt, 1958-1959. Visiting Professor, University Erlangen, 1959.
Professor, University Freiburg, 1959-1963. Dean Faculty, Rector, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, 1965, 1968, 1973. Professor of Economics, Director Institute, für Volkswirtschaftslehre, FriedrichAlexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, W. Germany, since 1983.
Editor, Abhandlung zum Wirtschaftlichen Staatswissenschaften, since 1968. Assistant Editor, Journal of Public Economics. Editorial Board, Public Finance Quarterly, since 1973.
Earlier interests included failures of static market structure theory, stressing the changing pattern of evolutionary competition, and the inefficient behaviour of an absolute public monopolist. Empirical research concentrated on public sector economics (badly labelled public finance) and tested and falsified Wagner’s Law (growing State’s share), Popitz’s Law (alleged centralisation in federalism), and the ‘displacement effect’, applying secular trend analysis. Tried to develop contours of a theory of the public waste syndrome by way of revealing and combining the causes for Oand R-inefficiency and emphasising the negative correlation (at least conflict) between selfand group-interest and bonum commune.
Initiated research on the poor integration of State and technology in fifty-to-fifty mixed economies, revealing the dubious validity
of empirical work using cost-benefit analysis.
More recently returned to analysing tax burden additional to tax payments by way of criticising both the partial Jevons-Marshall excess burden theorem which ignores excess benefits) and Ramsey’s) optimal taxation ‘movement’ with its naive policy suggestions. Research directed to the process of personal budget incidence, medium-run redistribution effects, and allocative misintegration of the State in Gross National Product. Continued to trace and analyse Adam Smith’s opus as an Aristotelean entity of ethics, economics, and politics, proving (1) its catholicity, consistency, originality and failures, (2) Smith’s eminent power to reasonably sythesise, and
refuting Viner’s dictum of Smith’s eclecticism and alleged contradictions.
Translated Wealth of Nations into German and contributed to bringing economics alive by modern historical techniques and intellectual biographies, emphasising (Wicksellian-like) the renaissance of political economy. Wrote a novel (systematic plus lexicographic) textbook on public and monetary economics.
Lieutenant German Army, l938-46. Member International Institute Public Finance (president 1979-1982, honorary president since 1982), International Institute Management (board directors), Leibniz-Akanuice der Wiss in der Liberalur, American Economic Association, Verein fur Socialpolitik, Rotary.
Married Hertha Joanni, March 21, 1953.