Overview and differentiation

German institutions in honor of 
Friedrich August von Hayek

Signet

Historical Development

In the lead-up to and on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Friedrich August von Hayek on May 8, 1999, two separate entities were founded:

  • The “Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung” was established at the initiative of former German President Roman Herzog and LĂĽder Gerken, with the involvement of his son Laurence Hayek and WĂĽrttembergische Versicherung as donors of the foundation capital.
  • The “Friedrich A. von Hayek-Gesellschaft e.V.” was founded by Karl Rubin, an entrepreneur from Lahr, and Gerd Habermann from the Entrepreneur Institute of the Working Group of Independent Entrepreneurs.

Both institutions were only made aware of each other's founding during the celebrations on May 8, 1999. Discussions at that time to merge the two organizations ended without result due to their differing legal structures.

In 2001, the following foundation was also established:

  • The “Friedrich August von Hayek-Stiftung fĂĽr eine freie Gesellschaft,” initiated by society member and entrepreneur Edmund Radmacher. From that point, it cooperated with the society until 2020.

The “Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung” only learned about the creation of this new entity in the early 2010s, by which time it was no longer possible to assert any legal claims regarding the name.

Key People Involved

The individuals involved with the “Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung” established in 1999 include:

  • Roman Herzog as Chairman of the Board of Trustees since its founding, Horst Köhler since 2015, and Jens Weidmann since 2022.
  • LĂĽder Gerken as a member of the Board of Directors since its founding.

The individuals involved with the “Friedrich A. von Hayek-Gesellschaft e.V.” include:

  • Christian Watrin as Chairman of the Board of Directors from its inception, Gerhard Schwarz from 2002, Karen Horn from 2011, Wolf Schäfer from 2016, and Stefan Kooths since 2019.
  • Gerd Habermann as Secretary and Managing Director since its founding.

The individuals involved with the “Friedrich August von Hayek-Stiftung für eine freie Gesellschaft” established in 2001 include:

  • Edmund Radmacher as Chairman of the Board of Trustees since its inception, Wernhard Möschel from 2007, Klaus-Werner Schatz from 2015, and Rolf Hasse since 2017.
  • Gerd Habermann as Chairman of the Board of Directors since its founding, followed by Clemens Christmann in 2020 and Johannes Bachmann in 2021.

Content Focus and Disputes

In 2015, a dispute arose within the “Friedrich A. von Hayek-Gesellschaft e.V.” regarding whether members of the AfD party should be accepted. This was supported by Habermann and rejected by then-President Horn. After Habermann's position prevailed at a general meeting, Horn and around a third of the society's members resigned.

Due to the same issue and other differences, in 2020, the Board of Trustees of the “Friedrich August von Hayek-Stiftung für eine freie Gesellschaft” terminated its management contract with Chairman Habermann and ended its cooperation with the society.

The “Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung” established in 1999 operates completely independently from both the society and the “Friedrich August von Hayek-Stiftung für eine freie Gesellschaft.” It was never involved in the disputes between the society and the 2001 foundation. At no point did any member of the Board of Trustees of the “Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung” serve on the board of either the society or the 2001 foundation.

Since 2020, the “Friedrich August von Hayek-Stiftung für eine freie Gesellschaft” has also operated independently from the society.