Heinrich von Storch’s concept of the use of mathematics in political economy

Abstract

Heinrich von Storch (1766‐1835) can claim a very specific position in the history of political economy. Clearly steeped in Camaralist thought, due to his upbringing and later scholarly work in Russia, he was primarily interested in the nature and the causes of the wealth of a nation that he considered to be richly endowed with natural resources yet badly lagging in development and the creation of wealth. He therefore laid specific emphasis not only on the processes of production and circulation of goods, but in particular on the cultural environment in which the economic process can take place. From this vantage point, he developed a system of political economy in which he also addressed the issue of which role different methods could play. In this short article, his view on the use of mathematics or algebraic methods in particular is discussed.