Economic calculation problem

The debate on economic calculation under socialism ( engl. Calculation Debate ) was an economics debate that initiated first in 1920 and 1922 by Ludwig von Mises and later, among others, by Friedrich August von Hayek, Trygve JB Hoff, Wilhelm Röpke, Lionel Robbins and Abram Bergson was continued. Mises and his followers intention here was to theoretically prove the " impracticability " of socialism. Within the Austrian School this thesis was wide, rezipiert of other currents, however, little or in a weakened form. A similar view as Mises represented by Max Weber in the III in 1922 posthumously published. Department of the ground plan of the Social Economy.

Basic idea

Mises argued that an economy that will controlled by central planning decisions and thus the market and the free formation of prices turning down to a realistic calculation way - ie to a rational use of its resources - not in a position to. Costs would have no meaning, the value of the factors of production is therefore not determinable at her; without money account, Mises, "there is no way to identify what is rational ". After abolition of private property - or, with Mises, the " special property" - takes the place of the " anarchic mode of production (...) the useless behavior of a improper system ( ... ). The wheels will spin, but they will run empty " From Mises headed the objective" from impossibility " of a socialist economy.:

The postulate that socialism ' impossible', was not withdrawn in later years, but defused among others, Hayek so far and made ​​connection capable than now with recourse to the basic ideas of Mises ' which takes place in real socialist planning - compared with the market price mechanism - was " incredibly clumsy, primitive and inadequate," attacked. The currently popular in the economics largely self-evident application of capitalist imaginary efficiency and rationality standards on socialist models is substantially back on these considerations.