Ordolieral Roots of Ecological Market Economy

Western Germany introduced the model of a Social Market Economy after World War II. This model has become an example of socio-economic reforms for many European countries. In the initial phase of the development of the new socio-economic policy concept, the postulate of "prosperity for all" was especially appealing as it considers economic policy and social policy as a whole. In subsequent years of development, particularly at the end of the twentieth century, the model of a Social Market Economy has become a source of foundation for creating new concepts and ideas that would include more aspects of responsible and sustainable development combined with proper care for resources and the natural environment. In the view of this, the aim of this paper is to attempt to answer the question of to what extent the Social Market Economy model can lay the foundation for sustainable, responsible and ecological development. In order to be able to answer such a research question, the author based his reasoning and analyses on the theory of ordoliberalism and the following research methods: factual analysis, comparative analysis and analysis of selected publications. The main findings of the research are that the concept of Social Market Economy contains numerous elements that can foster the implementation of the sustainable, responsible and ecological development of countries and societies.