Introduction

Abstract

When we started this project, the question was: is there a difference in the way seafaring and landlocked states visualise the commonwealth? The hypothesis was that Continental cultures develop utopias that are different from maritime cultures. This is clearly not true. In this sense, this volume follows the refutation of the Schumpeter Hypothesis. The question is discussed, if the hypothesis is refuted, why is it still relevant and useful? The answer provided in the book is that the Schumpeter Hypothesis remains important as it charts out an entire research program. The Hypothesis serves as a benchmarking instrument in defining the boundaries between public and private sectors in OECD countries and beyond. The Hypothesis may turn out to define the grammar of discourse for constitutional economic policy in the European and the OECD community.