Röpke later distanced himself from the term and located the social market economy as "first way" in the sense of an advancement of the free market economy.
في وقت لاحق نأى روبك بنفسه عن المصطلح واستخدم اقتصاد السوق الاجتماعي "كطريقة أولى" بمعنى التقدّم في اقتصاد السوق الحرّ.