Ivan Kinkel's (1883–1945) theory of economic development

This paper presents and discusses the " Attempt at Constructing a New Theory of Economic Development and Cultural Cycles ", published by the Bulgarian economist and sociologist of Russian origin, Ivan Kinkel (1883-1945) in 1921. Kinkel's theory, although unknown outside Bulgarian academic circles, carries a range of original ideas and new insights within the frame of Schmollerprogramm . It emphasises the importance of studying economic development as sociocultural evolutionary change, focuses on the role of unity in social life and the plurality of human motives and attempts to methodologically link theory and history into a multidisciplinary approach. Kinkel's work in general, and his theory of cyclical development in particular, can not only be of value for the study of economic thought and the diffusion of ideas, but can also offer insights into the forces underlying the profound changes that we have been witnessing recently.