The Creation and Development of the Social Market Economy

There is disagreement even over how to write the “social market economy”, — some use a capital letter and some a small for the word “social”, depending on their standpoint. That the Society for Business History had chosen a crucial theme in economic policy discussion for its 10th public meeting in Frankfurt/M was evident from the record number of participants. Around 230 guests, mainly from business, had come to Frankfurt, attracted certainly by the speakers: Dr. Alfred Herrhausen, Spokesman of the Board of Managing Directors of Deutsche Bank AG, and Professor Dr. Joachim Starbatty of the University of Tübingen. The members of the panel for the ensuing discussion were no less distinguished: Dr. Hans Tietmeyer, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Finance, Professor Rolf Sammet, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hoechst AG, Dr. Arend Oetker, personally liable partner in Schwartauer Werke and Professor Gerhard Fels, Director of the Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft.