Books by Wilhelm Roepke

Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek once warned that “the economist who is only an economist is likely to become a nuisance if not a positive danger.” As an economist and theorist of liberalism, Wilhelm Röpke was acutely aware of this danger. His combined commitments to sound economic analysis, the importance of social institutions, and the moral and religious framework of the Christian tradition make him a unique figure in the history of economic and social thought. This anthology, through carefully chosen selections from Röpke’s writings, introduces the contemporary reader to this most humane economist and theorist of the free and virtuous society.

Richard Quinney's The Social Reality of Crime remains an eloquent and important statement on crime, law, and justice

Wilhelm Roepke may have been the soundest economist of the twentieth century

Wilhelm Roepke may have been the soundest economist of the twentieth century. He understood the limitations as well as the strengths of his discipline. Economists are often tempted to take the easy way out by denying reality to aspects of human existence and reducing them to arbitrary and subjective tastes and preferences. Roepke never does this, and this is his strength. He realizes that all of these are legitimate aspects of human experience which must be satisfied in a balanced and harmonious social existence, Nature, sex, religion, beauty, and politics are all meaningful as parts of the whole. Problems occur only when each segment attempts to become the Whole.

This revised edition of "The Social Reality of Crime" aims to renew inspiration for Quinney's critical-social constructionist perspective - which has proved to be significant in the development of theoretical work in the fields of criminology, social problems, and the sociology of law.