West German corporations funded publicity to enshrine the social market economy

Evidence

Between 1952 and 1965, large West German enterprises channeled DM 16.11 million for a political publicity campaign, with the purpose of establishing the social market economy according to ordoliberal principles. The campaign proved quite successful, contributing to general election results that were highly favorable to the conservative-liberal parties, which were closely tied to the corporate sector (Schindelbeck and Ilgen 1999; Ptak 2004). — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 550

Categorization

• SEED: The corporate-funded Die Waage campaign is a ready-made article angle on how elites manufacture consent for economic ideology via PR.
• XREF: Connects to the broader literature on corporate funding of think tanks and ideological infrastructure (e.g., the Mont Pèlerin network itself). — connects to: State-society interpenetration replaced deliberation with managed publicity aimed at passive consumers — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 2376; Ordoliberals dominated Germany’s advisory council and funded publicity campaigns; The social market economy label legitimized market reforms politically — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 550

Broader Connections

• Ordoliberals dominated Germany’s advisory council and funded publicity campaigns #corroborates (0.90)
• The social market economy label legitimized market reforms politically #expands (0.85) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 550