On the occasion of the Austrian National Holiday, here's an article that elaborates on a very interesting question highly relevant to political life in Austria.
A passage from the article:
Liberal (in its classical sense) ideas might not have been as popular in Austria in recent years compared to its neighbors, but many of the founders of Austrian economics did hold prominent positions in the country. The founders of Austrian economics such as Carl Menger, Friedrich Wieser, and Eugen Böhm von Bawerk were all respected individuals in leading positions in universities, and in the case of Bawerk, even held the title of Finance Minister (1895-1904).
With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire and Anschluss to Nazi Germany, many Austrian liberal thinkers decided to exile themselves. This was either because they were Jewish or because they saw no possibility of having any vital position in an annexed Austria. Ludwig von Mises, Jewish himself, left the country before the Anschluss in 1938 took place. The same could not be said about his works which were confiscated and burned as a demonstration of opposition to his ideas.
After the end of the Second World War, many of these intellectuals did not return. Far more disconcerting was that the new Republic also had no interest in creating an incentive for them to return. F.A Hayek did nothing impactful in Austria (besides his short tenure at the Salzburg University) and was never asked by any post-war governments for advice, despite being one of the most respected economists of his time. Mises only visited Austria very seldomly.
The constant control of the same political parties over the country and the education system may definitely lead free-market reformers to be cynical about the realistic chances for coherent change. Even today ideas such as anti-globalization are openly taught by teachers in school, and much of the material they use is inspired by groups such as Greenpeace or Attac.
Yet there is some hope:
[T]here are a few reasons to remain positive. The rebranding of the Liberal Democrat party into NEOS has seen a re-launch of a Germanic form of ordoliberalism. This party, created in 2013, was assembled by older Liberal Democrats and members which defected from the center-right. In their first try, NEOS made it into parliament. The party, despite being an EU-federalist movement, is also fueled by more positive influences. It openly advocates for both cuts in public spending and taxation. It’s spokesperson on economics, Sepp Shellhorn, even quotes Ludwig von Mises in parliament sessions. In the recent election, NEOS obtained 5.2 percent of the vote, which means that they are inescapable for a two-thirds majority.
Link: https://fee.org/articles/why-is-austria-so-un-austrian/