Political Order and the Ambivalence of Expertise: Count Rumford and Welfare Reform in Late-Eighteenth-Century Munich.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Maerker, Anna
- Source
- Osiris. 2010, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p213-230. 18p.
- Subject
- *EXPERTISE
*GOVERNMENT consultants
*POLITICAL culture
*WELFARE economics
BAVARIA (Germany) politics & government, 1777-1918
- Language
- ISSN
- 0369-7827
The article presents an examination into the career of the late 18th-century German natural philosopher Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, while working for the Elector Karl Theodor of Bavaria. Details are given describing the tenure of Rumford's work for the Elector and his role as a state-sponsored expert. Specific analysis is offered for Rumford's welfare reform efforts in Bavaria, highlighting his political authority and manipulation of the political culture in order to bring about his projects.