The style of his scholarly work
It can be summarized as comprehensive and synthetic, including an emphasis on the methodological and the conceptual level along with economic theorizing, a great quantity of institutional details, and a historical-empirical perspective.
Not surprisingly, this kind of style led to volumes of enormous size. His specific version of the more common German critique of one-sided individualism in “British economics” deserves to be emphasized. It played a constructive role regarding choice-based approaches to the public sector. More specifically, a pluralist horizon regarding psychological motives with respect to choices within the public sector is stressed, including what in modern behavioural economics is called “social preferences”.Wagner’s normative stance reflects his conservative leanings. His critique of Marxian socialism is informed by some ontology of the good life supporting the non-malleability of human nature. Informed by his Malthusian perspectives, he rejects any optimism regarding the development of the forces of production overcoming the constraints imposed by a limited generosity of nature.