Economic History Yearbook

The Economic History Yearbook (German: Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte, JWG) is a German-language academic journal dedicated to economic history. It was founded in 1960 in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and was initially published by the Institute of History at the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin. During the GDR era, the journal was explicitly aligned with Marxist-Leninist methodology and served as a central forum for economic history in East Germany, a field that held greater prominence there than in West Germany at the time. It published four issues per year, featuring articles, discussions, literature reviews, business history, source materials, and conference reports, with a focus on German economic history and the socialist countries. After the political changes of 1989–1990, the journal was re-founded in 1992 with a fundamentally different orientation. The relaunch was shaped particularly by Toni Pierenkemper at the Cologne Seminar for Economic and Business History at the University of Cologne. Since then, the journal has been published by Akademie Verlag, appearing annually in one volume with two issues per year. Responsibility currently lies with the Chair of Economic and Business History at the Ruhr University Bochum, with Dieter Ziegler as managing editor. In its current form, the journal covers economic history topics while also incorporating related social and cultural history questions. It focuses on the period since the 16th century, with a geographical emphasis on Europe and especially Germany. It values a comparative perspective and serves as a discussion forum for the field, with strong attention to theories, concepts, and methods from economics and social sciences. Each issue typically includes a thematic section, additional articles, and literature or research reports. Since 2002, supplementary volumes (Beihefte) have been published, and since 2022 the journal has appeared in Open Access. A peer-review process decides on the acceptance of contributions.

The Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte (Economic History Yearbook) was founded in 1960 in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was initially published by the Institute of History at the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin. In the preface to the first issue, Karl Obermann defined its goal as publishing valuable research results and studies, stimulating scientific debate, and coordinating and guiding the field of economic history. Jürgen Kuczynski added that Marxism was the adequate scientific appropriation of the world, and while open to different approaches, he made clear the boundaries: the only and always correct method, the system of methods, the methodology of Marxism-Leninism, must always be applied. Economic history writing, which in West Germany at the time had a rather secondary character, played a central role in the GDR within the framework of the materialist conception of history. The structure of the journal remained comparable over decades. Four issues appeared per year. The main section consisted of five to ten articles depending on length. A discussion section published shorter contributions or statements on earlier contributions. A literature review section initially reviewed books on a focal theme, followed by further reviews. A special section covered works on business history. Another part, titled Sources and Materials, published contributions on archival holdings or sources directly. Furthermore, reports were given on meetings, conferences, and research projects, mostly limited to the GDR and socialist countries. Since 1972, a bibliography of new publications was published annually, with a separate bibliography for business history. Contributions appeared in German. Foreign authors mostly came from socialist countries; articles by Western authors were a great exception. The yearbook was indexed by register volumes, and some special volumes on specific themes were added. In terms of content, the articles covered the period from antiquity to the present, with no geographical restrictions, although German economic history dominated. While there were initially some polemical anti-Western contributions, a tendency toward objectification set in from the 1970s. The spectrum expanded to include contributions on the economy and society of socialist countries. Since 1977, the journal awarded the Rene-Kuczynski Prize in honor of Robert René Kuczynski for the best annual contributions. Most authors were already established scholars; young academics were relatively weakly represented. Carl-Ludwig Holtfrerich judged that the yearbook, within its ideological constraints, ensured a high level of theoretical and empirical economic history writing in the GDR. It is particularly emphasized that many articles were based on the development of new primary sources that were not readily accessible to Western historians at the time. After the Wende (political change), the journal was re-founded in 1992 and oriented differently in content and method. It appears annually in one volume with one issue per half-year, published by Akademie Verlag. The rebuilding was particularly shaped by Toni Pierenkemper at the Cologne Seminar for Economic and Business History at the University of Cologne. Currently, responsibility lies with the Chair of Economic and Business History at the Ruhr University Bochum, with Dieter Ziegler as managing editor. In terms of content, the journal deals predominantly with economic history topics but also includes related social and cultural history questions. Unlike before, the journal is limited to the period since the 16th century. The geographical focus of contributions is Europe and especially Germany. Special value is placed on a comparative perspective. The journal also sees itself as a discussion forum for the field. There is a pronounced consideration of theories, concepts, or methods of economics and social sciences and the history of this scientific field. In a first part, each issue deals with a focal theme through several contributions. A second part follows with articles on further topics. A third part includes literature reports or reports on new research projects. Since 2002, the Beihefte (supplementary volumes) of the yearbook have appeared. A peer-review process decides on the acceptance of contributions. Since 2022, the journal has appeared in Open Access.

• 2022

  Journal begins Open Access publication.

• 2002

  Beihefte (supplementary volumes) begin publication.

• 1992

  Re-founded after the Wende with a new content and methodological orientation, published by Akademie Verlag.

• 1977

  Rene-Kuczynski Prize established for best annual contributions.

• 1972

  Annual bibliography of new publications introduced.

• 1960

  Founded in the GDR, published by the Institute of History at the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin.

A peer-reviewed academic journal for economic history with a comparative European focus, published by Akademie Verlag and available in Open Access since 2022.

• Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte (annual volume, two issues per year)

• Beihefte (supplementary volumes, since 2002)

1. 1Wikidata: Economic History Yearbookwikidata.org
2. 2Wikipedia (German): Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichtede.wikipedia.org
3. 3Akademie Verlag / De Gruyter pageoldenbourg-verlag.de