Adolf Nußbaumer, Prof. DDr.

Adolf Nussbaumer was born in Vienna's 18 district (Währing) in 1931 as the son of the merchant Adolf Nussbaumer (1891-1949) and Frida Nussbaumer, née Scholz (1899-1978). He completed his schooling there and passed his school-leaving examination (Matura) on June 23, 1949, at the Bundesgymnasium Wien 18 (Klostergasse 21-25) with distinction. He then studied law at the University of Vienna (1^st state examination on June 26, 1950) and Romance languages and literature/interpreting. He took a break in 1951/52 and went to Berea College in Kentucky, USA, for a year as an exchange student in August 1952, where he studied economics and social sciences. He then continued his law studies in Vienna, passed the 2^nd (February 20, 1953) and 3^rd state examinations (February 22, 1954) and received his doctorate (Dr. jur.) on June 3, 1954.

In the summer semester 1954 and winter semester 1954/55, he completed the "course for International Studies” (diploma examination on February 28, 1955), completed two months of court practice at the Vienna-Innere Stadt District Court, and took part in the Salzburg Seminar for American Studies (34th session, “Social Structures and Economic Opportunities”) in August 1954. In the 1954/55 academic year, he worked part-time as a research assistant for Prof. Alexander Mahr and attended lectures in political science and economics (Absolutorium: July 21, 1955).

In 1955/56, he studied problems of international law and international economic relations at the Collège d'Europe in Bruges (Belgium) as a scholarship holder of the Austrian Ministry of Education, graduated there with a diploma and returned to Austria, where he passed the state and economic science viva voce on July 7, 1956 and graduated on July 11, 1956 ("Dr. rer. pol."), with the dissertation: ”Version and problems of the term ‘economic productivity’, especially in German literature" (supervisors: Alexander Mahr and Theodor Pütz).

From September 1956, he was secretary of the Austrian Trade Association, in charge of its public relations work, but from September 1, 1957 only on a part-time basis, as from then on he carried out research at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research as a scientific officer for currency, money and capital markets.

From February 1958, he ended both activities as he became assistant at the Chair of Economics at the University of Vienna for two years. In March 1960, he was extended as a senior assistant and habilitated in economics in 1961 (habilitation thesis: “Der Einfluß des Banksystems auf Geldmenge, Masseneinkommen und Zinsbildung”). In December 1963, he was appointed full Professor of Economics and Economics Policy and Head of the Institute for Economic Policy at the University of Graz.

He married Dr. Maria Schneider on March 7, 1964 in Vienna, two daughters were born in 1965 and 1971 and the family later lived in Vienna 3, Beatrixgasse 3/22.

Professorship at the University of Vienna

After less than three years in Graz, he was appointed full professor of economics and economic policy and co-chair of the Institute of Economics at the University of Vienna on September 26, 1966, and also took on numerous other functions in the years that followed: He was vice-president of the I. Diploma Examination Commission for the social and economic science fields of study, vice-president of the II. Diploma Examination Commission for the economics field of study and 1969-1978 director of the summer school of the University of Vienna in St. Wolfgang/Strobl.

His main areas of work were monetary theory and monetary policy, fiscal policy, agricultural and regional policy and the comparative study of economic systems.

Other activities

He was also a lecturer at the Military Academy, the Diplomatic Academy and the National Defense Academy. He was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Austrian Postal Savings Bank from 1969 (until joining the government in 1977), Chairman of the Committee for Participation in the Management of the National Debt (National Debt Committee/Fiscal Council) established there from 1970 to 1977, and for many years Chairman of the Committee for Budget Policy of the Advisory Board for Economic and Social Issues of the Joint Commission, member of the Industrial Commission and member of the Advisory Board for Pension Adjustment.

He was also a member of the Austrian UNESCO Commission, Vice President of the Austrian Society for Spatial Research and Planning from 1972, President of the Austrian Society for Agricultural and Forestry Policy until 1977 and Deputy Chairman of the National Economic Society.

He gained some practical economic policy experience in the development of regional planning in Styria in the years 1964-1968 (development program for the southwest region).

State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery (Kreisky government III, IV)

After a visiting professorship in Connecticut (USA), he was appointed Head of Department IV/4 (Economic Coordination) in the Federal Chancellery in April 1977.

On October 5, 1977, he was appointed State Secretary in the Kreisky III Federal Government as successor to Ernst Eugen Veselsky, who had resigned, and supported the Federal Chancellor in economic policy matters (economic coordination, structural policy, ERP funds, regional planning, OECD matters, OECD nuclear energy and energy issues, development aid, IT coordination in the federal sector, data protection and data security, involvement in matters relating to nationalized industry).

State Secretary Prof. DDr. Adolf Nußbaumer died in office in 1982 at the age of 51.

Honours:

He was awarded the Großes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich in 1975, the Große Silberne Ehrenzeichen am Bande für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich in 1981 and after his death was given an honorary grave at the Vienna-Neustift am Walde cemetery (Group B, Row 7, No. 9).

Publications (selected):

• Der Einfluß des Banksystems auf Geldmenge, Masseneinkommen und Zinsbildung (Vienna 1960)
• Wirtschaftstheorie und Wirtschaftspraxis (Vienna 1962)
• Wettbewerb und öffentliche Unternehmungen: Zur ordnungspolitischen Bedeutung öffentlicher Unternehmungen in der sozialen Marktwirtschaft (Vienna 1963)
• Einführung in Probleme der Wirtschafts- und Finanzpolitik (Vienna 1965)
• Die Problematik von Indexlohn-Vereinbarungen (Vienna 1967)
• Land Steiermark - Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten der Region Südwest : politische Bezirke Voitsberg - Deutschlandsberg – Leibnitz (Graz 1968/69)
• Die Abfertigungsrücklage als Instrument der Stabilitäts-, Vermögensbildungs- und Wachstumspolitik (Vienna 1973)
• Die Stellung des Staates in der Wirtschaft. Gutachten (Vienna 1973)
• Die gewerbliche Wirtschaft an den Grenzen des Wachstums? (Vienna 1974)
• The economic systems of socialist Eastern Europe: principles, development and operation (London 1975)

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