Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk · 1889
Böhm-Bawerk’s brief review of Hermann Losch’s 1887 book makes conceptual clarity the criterion for judging its contribution to the measurement of national wealth, income, and their distribution. His opening verdict governs the review:
Die Schrift leidet von Anfang bis zu Ende an einem bedauerlichen Mangel an Klarheit.
English translation: The work suffers from beginning to end from a regrettable lack of clarity.
He traces Losch’s progression from introductory discussions to a critical-historical survey of previous attempts at measurement. Its result is sweeping:
Die Ausbeute dieses Abschnittes ist die Verurtheilung aller bisherigen Versuche als unzutreffend oder unzulänglich.
English translation: The yield of this section is the condemnation of all previous attempts as inaccurate or inadequate.
Losch then proposes a statistical investigation of the population’s overall economic circumstances, with particular attention to occupational structure. A new state organization of statistics would be its indispensable prerequisite. The review thus identifies a move from criticism of existing estimates to institutional reform, but does not examine individual estimates or methods.
Böhm-Bawerk acknowledges interesting features while concluding that the work remains too unresolved to clarify its subject for readers or advance scholarship. The review’s significance lies in this distinction between an ambitious statistical program and a sufficiently clear intellectual contribution.
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