Josef Gruber

Josef Gruber  ranked among the top  Czech economists for thirty years at the turn of the 19th and 20th century. Jointly with Cyril Horáček he promoted complex thought in the field of economic politics in contrast  to their teachers, Kaizl and Bráf, who rather concentrated on economic theory. Gruber's great merits also include the fact that, together with C. Horáček, he gathered, classified and published the eight-volume work of A. Bráf.

Josef Gruber was born on 3 November 1865 in Luž. He graduated from the grammar school in Litomyšl and the Law Faculty in Prague. After graduation from the university in 1890 he  worked for fourteen years as a clerical worker in the Commerce and Trade Chamber in Prague. Progressively he held more and more important positions, and he dealt with almost all fields of economic and social politics. From1896 until the end of his life, almost for thirty years, he was the head of an important journal, Economic Horizon, for which he himself wrote  many articles. His bright comments on topical events are in fact a thirty-year chronicle of  Czech economic life and development. During 1900 and 1918 he was  chairperson of the Czech Economic Society and the chief acting secretary of the Economic Institution of the Czech Academy of Science. Since 1901 he taught at the Law Faculty and later at the Czech Polytechnics in Prague as well. He had played a large role in the economic education of Czech society either by public lectures, or extraordinary and wide-ranging works that he published. Although he observed the politics of economic liberalism, he  supported a strong state social policy, which he had the opportunity to show as a minister in the social caretaker government of Prime Minister Jan Černý (from September 1920 to Sept. 1921) and in the position of the first chairperson of the Social Institute. He died on 2 May 1925 when travelling by tram.

In his published works and his research work Gruber dealt with a wide range of topics, from trade legislation to water transportation to population policy. He summarised the results of his systematic research in economic politics in his four publications about industrial, agricultural, trading and transportation policy. According to professor Vencovský, "overall Gruber's view of economic politics was dominated by on the one hand, a description of the current practice and on the other hand, a  history of this practice from ancient times to the present. The theory of  economic politics was not paid great attention; it almost perished." Yet in the very inexhaustible works of Josef Gruber a thoughtful reader would find much detailed information, interesting insights and inspirational aspects.

Mgr. Vladimír Seidl

On this page there can be found the following from the works of J. Gruber: