Johann-Heinrich-von-Thünen-Medaille in Gold

Rules pertaining to the awarding of the Thünen-Medaille can be found here. (only in German available)

The award committee consists of six members.  The Agricultural and Nutritional Science Faculty of the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel selects three members from among its full-time professors, with the exception of the dean.  The remaining three members are appointed by the Faculty based on proposals by the Board.  At least two members of the committee should be active farmers.

Johann Heinrich von Thünen

(24 June 1783 – 22 September 1850)

Johann Heinrich von Thünen was born on 24 June 1783 in Kanarienhausen, which is near Hooksiel in Jeverland.  He attended the agricultural school of Lucas Andreas Staudinger in Holstein, where in 1803, he already demonstrated his fundamental ideas in a paper, which he would later expand on in his ground-breaking work Nationalökonomie stemming from his time as a farmer on his estate, Gut Tellow, in Mecklenburg from 1810 – 1850.

Staudinger, his friend and teacher, supported his work and ensured the publication of Thünen's Der isolierte Staat in Beziehung auf Landwirtschaft und Nationalökonomie as Part 1 in 1826 in Hamburg.  Four years later, Thünen received an honorary doctorate from the University of Rostock.

In his work, Thünen demonstrated the optimal supply of economic goods to the population and, at the same time, the functional location and the ideal production intensity of individual economical sectors.  According to Thünen, the assignment of the type of production depended on the distrubution location, the so-called Von Thünen Circles.  They are arranged according to transport costs per area and distance unit to the market.  Above all, Thünen's method is one of isolated abstraction.

Part 2 was published in 1850.  Particularly noteworthy were his statements regarding the naturgemäße Entlohnung der Arbeiter (i.e. the natural compensation of workers) which can be found in his compensation formula.  These declarations particularly provide insight into Thünen's social philosophies.

Through his work, Thünen founded important economic and social science research facilities, econometric, agricultural, urban and woodland location theories, marginal analysis, marginal productivity theory, economic optimization, as well as theories on political and social statements regarding natural compensation and profit-sharing.

Thünen passed away as a farmer on his estate, Gut Tellow, on 22 September 1850 and is, today, regarded as the most significant German economist of his time.

List of Award Winners

1966 to 1969

1970 to 1979

1980 to 1989

1990 to 1999

2000 tp present