Draft:Hermann Adam
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Hermann Adam | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Economist, political scientist, author |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Cologne University of Kiel University of Oldenburg |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Political science, economics |
Sub-discipline | Political economy, economic policy, fiscal policy |
| Institutions | Free University of Berlin Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf |
Notable works | Bausteine der Wirtschaft Steuerpolitik in 60 Minuten Wirtschaftspolitik Finanzpolitik |
Hermann Adam is a German economist, political scientist and author of introductory books on economics, politics and public finance. He holds honorary professorships at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and the Free University of Berlin.[1] His books examine economic institutions and policy through a social-scientific perspective, including the relationship between economic decisions, political interests and the distribution of income and wealth.[2][3]
Education and career
[edit]Adam studied economics, political science and sociology at the universities of Cologne and Kiel. He received a Diplom in economics, with a social-scientific orientation, from the University of Cologne in 1971 and a doctorate in economics and political science, designated Dr. rer. pol., from the University of Oldenburg in 1978.[4]
From 1970 to 1977, he worked as a research officer at the Economic and Social Research Institute of the German Trade Union Confederation in Düsseldorf. Between 1978 and 1984, he was an editor at Bund-Verlag in Cologne. He subsequently worked for the German Savings Banks Association from 1984 until 2011, in Bonn and Berlin.[4]
Adam began teaching at higher-education institutions in 1978. His teaching appointments included institutions in Wuppertal and Neuss, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and the Free University of Berlin. He was appointed an honorary professor in Düsseldorf in 1992 and at the Free University of Berlin in 2004.[4]
Writing and scholarship
[edit]Economics and political institutions
[edit]Adam's introductory economics textbook first appeared in 1973 under the title Bausteine der Volkswirtschaftslehre. It subsequently appeared as Bausteine der Wirtschaft; its sixteenth edition incorporated discussion of the financial-market and euro-area crises. The book covers economic processes, international economic relations, unemployment, inflation, inequality and environmental problems, together with instruments of economic and social policy.[2]
The textbook places economic developments within their political and social contexts. Its treatment of policy examines the interests and ideological assumptions associated with competing approaches, rather than concentrating on mathematical economic theory.[5] Reviewing the sixteenth edition for the Portal für Politikwissenschaft, Julia Kiesow highlighted its explanation of the connections between economy and society and its use of examples and graphics to explain economic concepts.[2]
In Wirtschaftspolitik und Regierungssystem der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Adam connected introductory economics with an account of Germany's political institutions. The third edition, published in 1995, addressed the government system, economic organisation, economic fluctuations and the possibilities and limits of policy intervention. Its concluding discussion considered economic and political problems following German reunification. Reviewer Stefan Lembke described its presentation of complex relationships as accessible and considered it useful for encouraging reflection on economic policy.[6]
His Bausteine der Politik, published in 2007, provides an introduction to political science. It covers political systems, institutions linking citizens and government, democratic control, political extremism, the relationship between politics and economics, international relations and political theory. The book explains specialist terminology as it introduces the principal subjects of the discipline.[7]
Taxation and fiscal policy
[edit]In Steuerpolitik in 60 Minuten (2013), Adam examines the purposes of taxation, different taxes, the allocation of tax revenue and the distribution of tax burdens. The book also considers the effects of taxation on consumers and businesses and the influence of international tax competition on German policy. It presents competing tax proposals in relation to their economic effects and underlying social and political positions.[3]
Finanzpolitik, published by Kohlhammer in 2024, examines government revenue, expenditure and borrowing.[8] Its discussion includes contrasting conceptions of the state's responsibilities, redistribution, public debt and Germany's fiscal federalism. Historical examples include the 1952 investment-assistance and burden-equalisation legislation, the solidarity surcharge and the ecological tax reform. Julia Kiesow-Udwari's review emphasised the book's treatment of contemporary debt-brake debates and its suitability for introductory teaching.[9]
In a separate review in Politische Vierteljahresschrift, Stella Wasenitz and Marie Jeanne Marleen Heijens discussed Adam's use of everyday examples and international comparisons. They observed that his account supports a state responsible for education and social security alongside property and security. Their review also identified limitations, including opportunities for additional theoretical perspectives and more extensive analysis of some empirical material.[10]
Economic policy and public debate
[edit]Adam's Wirtschaftspolitik examines economic-policy objectives, conflicts between those objectives, institutions, governance and decision-making. It also considers the challenges associated with a globalised economy.[1] Reviewing the book in Politische Vierteljahresschrift, Wasenitz and Heijens praised its interdisciplinary approach and historical examples. They also criticised the limited attention to feminist and postcolonial perspectives and aspects of its treatment of financialisation and green growth.[11]
Adam has also contributed to debates about austerity and the role of government in economic activity. A 2016 Böckler Impuls article summarised his criticism of arguments connecting low inflation, restricted public borrowing and deregulation automatically with stronger employment and growth. It reported his emphasis on the distributive interests involved in economic policy.[12]
In 2019, the journal Gesellschaft. Wirtschaft. Politik published an interview with Adam on social-democratic economic policy under globalisation, covering taxation, social policy, digitalisation and basic income.[13]
Adam is among the editors of perspektiven ds, a journal of social analysis and reform politics. Its first issue of 2026 lists his contribution Verhandlungsdemokratie in Zeiten wirtschaftlichen Strukturwandels, concerning negotiation democracy during economic structural change.[14]
Selected publications
[edit]- Wirtschaftspolitik und Regierungssystem der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Eine Einführung. 3rd edition. Leske + Budrich, 1995. ISBN 9783810015020.[6]
- Bausteine der Politik: Eine Einführung. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 2007. ISBN 9783531154862.[7]
- Steuerpolitik in 60 Minuten. Springer VS, 2013. ISBN 9783658026134.[3]
- Bausteine der Wirtschaft: Eine Einführung. 16th edition. Springer VS, 2015. ISBN 9783531195056.[5]
- Wirtschaftspolitik: Eine Einführung. Springer VS, 2022. ISBN 9783658379780.[1]
- Finanzpolitik: Eine Einführung. Kohlhammer, 2024. ISBN 9783170434387.[8]
External links
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Adam, Hermann (2022). Wirtschaftspolitik: Eine Einführung (in German). Wiesbaden: Springer VS. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-37979-7. ISBN 9783658379780.
- 1 2 3 Kiesow, Julia (2015-07-30). "Bausteine der Wirtschaft". Portal für Politikwissenschaft (in German). Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- 1 2 3 Adam, Hermann (2013). Steuerpolitik in 60 Minuten (in German). Wiesbaden: Springer VS. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-02614-1. ISBN 9783658026134.
- 1 2 3 "Prof. Dr. Hermann Adam". Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft (in German). Freie Universität Berlin. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- 1 2 Adam, Hermann (2015). Bausteine der Wirtschaft: Eine Einführung (in German) (16 ed.). Wiesbaden: Springer VS. doi:10.1007/978-3-531-19506-3. ISBN 9783531195056.
- 1 2 Lembke, Stefan. "Wirtschaftspolitik und Regierungssystem der Bundesrepublik Deutschland". Portal für Politikwissenschaft (in German). Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- 1 2 Adam, Hermann (2007). Bausteine der Politik: Eine Einführung (in German). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. doi:10.1007/978-3-531-90575-4. ISBN 9783531154862.
- 1 2 "Zwischen Sparzwang und Wachstumszielen – Interview mit Dr. Hermann Adam". Kohlhammer Blog (in German). 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ Kiesow-Udwari, Julia (2025-07-24). "Hermann Adam: Finanzpolitik – Eine Einführung". Portal für Politikwissenschaft (in German). Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ Wasenitz, Stella; Heijens, Marie Jeanne Marleen (2025). "Hermann, Adam (2025): Finanzpolitik: Eine Einführung". Politische Vierteljahresschrift (in German). 66: 965–967. doi:10.1007/s11615-025-00596-9.
- ↑ Wasenitz, Stella; Heijens, Marie Jeanne Marleen (2024). "Adam, Hermann (2023): Wirtschaftspolitik. Eine Einführung". Politische Vierteljahresschrift (in German). 65: 637–639. doi:10.1007/s11615-024-00536-z.
- ↑ "Wirtschaftspolitik: Im Würgegriff der schwarzen Null". Böckler Impuls (in German). Hans-Böckler-Stiftung. 2016. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ Die Redaktion (2019). "Sozialdemokratische Wirtschaftspolitik im Zeitalter der Globalisierung. Fragen an Professor Hermann Adam". Gesellschaft. Wirtschaft. Politik (in German). 68 (1): 21–27. doi:10.3224/gwp.v68i1.02.
- ↑ "Quo vadis, gute alte SPD?". Schüren Verlag (in German). Retrieved 2026-09-30.