La libéralisation et la standardisation des marchés ont rendu les économies nationales instables. Les changements paradigmatiques causés par cette situation mènent au remodelage de la définition et du rôle de l’économie politique, affectant des institutions étatiques, dont l’état social et le marché du travail. Ce travail fait ressortir les différences d’interprétation et d’analyses selon les traditions en pensée économique. Le cas de l’Allemagne devient intéressant, puisqu’il y a une tradition de pensée économique particulière avec ses courants de pensée plus sociaux et, selon la théorie de variétés de capitalisme, un capitalisme différent du modèle américain. L’économiste social allemand Wolfgang Streeck soutient d’ailleurs que le capitalisme se dissocie tranquillement de son aspect démocratique alors que d’autres chercheurs n’arrivent pas à cette conclusion. Dans un contexte de libéralisation et de standardisation, ne devrait-il pas y avoir une standardisation des analyses et des courants de pensées économiques, eux-mêmes déterminés selon leur contexte politique et social ? Peut-on conclure que les conclusions de Streeck sont définies par les pensées économiques allemandes traditionnelles ? La recherche lie deux approches : celle économique (comment produire davantage) et celle politique (comment répartir). Cette discipline qu’est l’économie politique vient prendre en compte l’aspect social de l’économie. La méthodologie consiste à faire un portrait de la pensée économique de Streeck et le situer historiquement, nationalement et internationalement afin de démontrer que, malgré la mondialisation, les économies et pensées économiques nationales sont encore pertinentes. / Market liberalisation and standardisation have rendered national economies unstable. The paradigmatic changes caused by the situation have remodeled the definition and role of political economy. They have also affected state institutions, may it be the welfare state and the labour market. This research paper brings forward interpretation and analyses differences according to different traditions of economic thought. Germany’s case becomes interesting since it has a specific tradition of economic thought with its more social perspectives and, according to the varieties of capitalism theory, a very distinct capitalist model compared to the usually more preferred Anglo-Saxon model. The German social economist Wolfgang Streeck arguments that capitalism is slowly separating itself from its democratic aspect whereas other researchers come to other conclusions. In this context of liberalisation and standardisation, should there not be a standardisation of analyses and economic school of thoughts, themselves defined by their political and social context? Is it possible to conclude that Streeck’s conclusions are defined by traditional German economic thought? The research paper links two approaches: the economic approach (how to produce more) and the political one (how to distribute). The discipline of political economy takes the social aspect of economy into consideration. The methodology consists of sketching a portrait of Streeck’s economic thought and situating him historically, nationally and internationally, in order to demonstrate that, even with globalisation, national economies and national economic thought are still highly relevant.

This dissertation deals with the American Catholic theologian and social thinker Michael Novak, as well as his work, which is a principal and influential contribution to Catholic social teaching. Novak is the main representative of American Catholic Neoconservatism, a stream in Catholic thought, which springs from the specific context of the experience of the American political, economical and cultural arrangement and which started to develop in the USA in connection with the American conservative revolution. Catholic Neoconservatism aims to connect Christian and liberal traditions, and it also tries to rehabilitate the system of Democratic Capitalism newly based on Christian values. Its goal is to influence all areas of Catholic social thought, which, according to Novak, needs to be developed and enriched by non-Europeans, especially from the American experience. He claims that Catholic social thought is inspired too much by Socialism and the one-hundredyear-old tradition of Papal Encyclicas has been significantly marked by a limited Eurocontinental horizon. This dissertation aims to contribute, at least partly, to the Catholic historical revision of values of classical liberalism in light of this American experience. Also Novak´s usage of theological doctrines on behalf of the democratic capitalism is interesting and not forgetable experiment in the area of the theology of terrestrial realities, despite some of its exceptions. Novak is not a great theologian, but he is especially a political scientist and economist. Therefore his theology of Democratic Capitalism should be further developed and enriched by other theologians.