Philipp von Hörnigk

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Philipp von Hörnigk (sometimes spelt Hornick or Horneck) was born in Frankfurt am Main on the 23rd of January 1640 and died on the 23th of October 1714 in Passau. He was an Austrian civil servant and a supporter of the economic theory of mercantilism.

[edit] Economic work

Writing in a time when his country was constantly threatened by Turkish invasion. In Österreich Über Alles, Wenn Sie Nur Will (1684, Austria Over All, If She Only Will) he laid out one of the clearest statements of mercantile policy. He listed nine principle rules of national economy.

"To inspect the country's soil with the greatest care, and not to leave the agricultural possibilities of a single corner or clod of earth unconsidered... All commodities found in a country, which cannot be used in their natural state, should be worked up within the country... Attention should be given to the population, that it may be as large as the country can support... gold and silver once in the country are under no circumstances to be taken out for any purpose... The inhabitants should make every effort to get along with their domestic products... [Foreign commodities] should be obtained not for gold or silver, but in exchange for other domestic wares... and should be imported in unfinished form, and worked up within the country... Opportunities should be sought night and day for selling the country's superfluous goods to these foreigners in manufactured form... No importation should be allowed under any circumstances of which there is a sufficient supply of suitable quality at home."

Nationalism, self-sufficiency and national power were the basic policies proposed.^[1] By 1784 15 editions of his book had been produced.