Wagner, Adolf Heinrich Gotthilf

Wagner, Adolf Heinrich Gotthilf (ä'dôlf hīn'rikh gôt'hilf väg'nur) [key], 1835–1917, German economist and socialist, studied at Göttingen and Heidelberg. He taught economics at several universities before becoming professor of economics at the Univ. of Berlin, a post he held for many years. He was an authority on banking and public finance and was a member of the Christian Socialist party. He promulgated a theory, known as Wagner's law, that governments increasingly assume responsibility for the economic welfare of their peoples.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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