The Influence of Schumpeter’s German Writings on the Mainstream Economic Literature in English

This paper discusses the influence of the German writings of Joseph Schumpeter on the economic literature in English. The Introduction explains the rationale for the organization and structure of the paper. The next section discusses the theory and measurement of influence and its meanings. Attention is paid to the importance of the language in which a contribution to the economic literature is made and that influence is time bound. A description of Schumpeter’s life describes some of the possible paths of the influence of his writings in German into the mainstream economic literature in English. A short discussion of Schumpeter’s influence after he died follows. The conclusion is that Schumpeter’s writings in German had a substantial influence on the subsequent development of many parts of economics.