The Principle of “Interdependence of Orders” as the Main Idea of Sustainable Development and the Basic Category of Wilhelm Röpke and Alexander Rüstow’s Socio-Economic Thought

Abstract

In this study, the authors analyze the influence of the views of two adherents of ordoliberalism – Wilhelm Röpke and Alexander Rüstow on the development of the concept of sustainable development. The research question concerns
the extent to which the ideas of both researchers focus on the long-term system’s ability to achieve sustainable social development, taking into account the assumption of the interdependence of orders and special consideration of the role of a human being as a subject of civil society. The first part of the study is devoted to the analysis of “Vitality” defined by Alexander Rüstow and
its significance for the concept of sustainable order. The next part of the work focuses on defining a man as a subject of balancing interdependent relations in the concept of Wilhelm Röpke. The third part of the article is an analysis of the most important assumptions of the concept of sustainable development and their relation to Wilhelm Röpke and Alexander Rüstow’s socio-economic and political thought. The study concludes with the most important findings.