ABSTRACT
In German-speaking countries the term Gemeinwirtschaft has a long tradition and a variety of meanings. Some ideas of the Gemeinwirtschaft have influenced the academic discussion and political understanding of the practical role of public and social-economic enterprises over a long period. The German Gemeinwirtschaftslehre, developed as an economic theory of public enterprises, and the so-called Instrumentalthese played a prominent role in the governance of publicly owned enterprises in Germany and Austria in the decades following World War II. However, the Gemeinwirtschaftslehre has attracted little attention outside German-speaking countries.
