Pro bono publico oeconomico : sonda do ekonomického myšlení počátku 18. století

This study analyses the correspondence between Jan Kryštof Bořek, a Privy Council member, and the Czech aristocrat Jan Josef of Wallenstein, primarily from the 1720s. Both of them embraced mercantilist theories and with their assistance they sought to discover ways of improving the economic situation in the Czech Lands. Their correspondence reveals their thought processes in which mercantilism merged with the post-White Mountain (Baroque) patriotism. At the same time it also reveals much about the reflection of their own actions, because both Bořek and Wallenstein actively intervened in the formation of the economic environment in the Czech Lands: Bořek headed the office in charge of indirect taxes, Wallenstein was the head of a commercial collegium and he also operated a cloth-making manufactury. Thus, neither mercantilism or patriotism were abstract concepts; they provided a theoretical basis for real decision-making and practical activities.