E. F. Schumacher

Ernst Friedrich Schumacher  (16 August 1911 – 4 September 1977) was a German-born British statistician and economist. He is best known for ideas about human-scale, decentralized and appropriate technologies.Biography on the inner dustjacket of Small Is Beautiful He worked as Chief Economic Advisor to the British National Coal Board from 1950 to 1970 and started the Intermediate Technology Development Group (now Practical Action) in 1966.

In 1995, his book Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered (1973) was named one of the 100 most important books since World War II by The Times Literary Supplement.The Times Literary Supplement, 6 October 1995, p. 39 In 1977 he published A Guide for the Perplexed, criticizing materialism and exploring knowledge and how it is organized.

Early life
Schumacher was born in Bonn, Germany. His father was a professor of political economy. He studied in Bonn and Berlin, then in England as a Rhodes Scholar at New College, Oxford and later at Columbia University in New York, earning a diploma in economics. He also worked in business, farming, and journalism. His sister, Elizabeth, married physicist Werner Heisenberg.

Career

Protégé of Keynes
Before World War II, Schumacher returned to England. During the war, he was briefly interned on a farm as an "enemy alien". While there, he wrote a paper called "Multilateral Clearing".E. F. Schumacher, "Multilateral Clearing" Economica, New Series, Vol. 10, No. 38 (May 1943), pp. 150–165 John Maynard Keynes was impressed by it and helped get him released. Schumacher then helped the British government with economic and financial planning during the war and worked at Oxford University.

According to Leopold Kohr, Schumacher's paper was almost copied into Keynes' "Plan for an International Clearing Union".Leopold Kohr., in Satish Kumar (ed.), The Schumacher Lectures, Harper & Row, 1980.

Adviser to the Coal Board
After the war, Schumacher helped rebuild the German economy as an advisor to the British Control Commission. From 1950 to 1970, he was Chief Economic Adviser to the National Coal Board. He suggested using coal instead of oil for energy, warning about oil shortages and high prices.Daniel Yergin. The Prize, Simon & Schuster, 1991, p. 559. He also predicted issues with OPEC and nuclear power.Small Is Beautiful Section 2, Chapters 3–4. Schumaker, EF. Harper and Row Publishers. 1989.

Development and Appropriate Technology
In 1955, Schumacher went to Burma as an economic consultant. There he developed "Buddhist economics", focusing on work that improves human life. He believed local production for local needs is best. He encouraged self-reliant economies in developing countries and started the Intermediate Technology Development Group in 1966. He supported small-scale, easy-to-use, and eco-friendly technology. He was a trustee of Scott Bader Commonwealth and president of the Soil Association in 1970.

He was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and J. C. Kumarappa. In a lecture in Varanasi in 1973, he called Gandhi the greatest "people's economist".

Influences
Schumacher was inspired by thinkers like Richard Henry Tawney, Gautama Buddha, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Leopold Kohr, John Ruskin, and the Catholic Church. His ideas influenced the Schumacher Center for a New Economics and many activists.

Writing
Schumacher wrote for The Times, The Economist, and Resurgence. He advised the India Planning Commission and governments of Zambia and Burma. His essay "Buddhist Economics" comes from this experience.

Small Is Beautiful (1973) explained that economic growth should not harm future generations by using up resources. He became popular with environmentalists and community activists. In 1976, he won the Prix européen de l'essai Charles Veillon for the book. A Guide for the Perplexed (1977) criticized materialism and discussed knowledge.

The question of size
Following Leopold Kohr, Schumacher warned that "bigger is not always better". Small nations and organizations often work better economically and socially. Large countries and companies face problems of management, social stress, and alienation. He argued for decentralization, regional development, and smaller communities.

Later life
Schumacher started as an atheist but later explored Buddhism and then Catholicism. He appreciated Christian mysticism and thinkers like Thomas Merton and Christopher Derrick. He converted to Catholicism in 1971.Pearce, Joseph (2008). "The Education of E.F. Schumacher". God Spy. He loved gardening and continued writing. He died of a heart attack on 4 September 1977 in Romont, Switzerland.

Legacy
His books and papers are kept at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.Schumacher Center for a New Economics web site. The Schumacher Circle is a group of organizations inspired by him, including Schumacher College, Practical Action, and the New Economics Foundation.Schumacher Circle links , Schumacher Society

Selected bibliography
 Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered (1973, )
 A Guide for the Perplexed (1977, )
 This I Believe and Other Essays (1977, )
 Good Work (1979, )

See also
 Community development
 Distributism
 Microcredit
 Sustainable development
 Social entrepreneurship

References

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